Trouble And Temper
by smc-27
Summary: He's the perfect boy. Except that he's not. He has a complicated past, but a bright future. He finds himself living in the present for the first time ever, and he's living there with a pretty blonde who he's certain hates him half the time. AU NP
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** OK, a few things you need to know. This story is AU. Basically, everything from seasons 1&2 happened, with the exception that Peyton never lived in Tree Hill, so her storylines never happened. Basically, Nathan transfers to Oak Lake Academy a few weeks into senior year, where he meets Peyton. Everything else should be explained within, but feel free to ask if anything's confusing.

This story isn't going to be very pro-Haley. In fact, it might end up being a little anti-Haley (all for the sake of drama/NP goodness). And actually, it probably won't be very nice to Lucas either. I just wanted to give fair warning.

**----**

Oak Lake Academy.

The halls are crawling with pseudo-intellectuals, artists and athletes. 'Special' students, recruited for their talents and abilities and sent to the best school in the state for things like art and basketball and sciences. Those three things have given the school its reputation, and the students are looked upon to keep that reputation intact.

They do.

It's all brick walls and clean hallways and well-kept grounds. Students in pleated skirts or black slacks, and hunter green cardigans. Girls with boys' ties in their hair, and handsome blue-blooded boys with expensive cars and a world of expectations on their shoulders.

He wouldn't be here if it wasn't for basketball. It's his first day, and the coach has already told him he's going to be the best player on the team, and that he'll be scouted throughout the year, starting with their first game.

He knows he's good. He knows he's the best, actually. He knows that, at this school, students are expected to have the grades to match their skill. He doesn't. But the coach told him not to worry about it. He didn't really know what that meant, but he assumes that he might just be able to focus on ball and his grades won't be an issue. He can't say that sounds like a bad thing. And really, if he learned anything last year, it's that if he just applies himself a little bit, he can get through his classes just fine.

He steps into the main hallway, and he's drawing stares already. He doesn't know if these kids know who he is, or if they just know that they've never seen him before. He ignores the looks he's getting - he's used to it - and slings his bag over his shoulder as he heads down the hall, searching for the locker that's been assigned to him.

He can't say he hates that there's a leggy blonde girl standing in front of the green metal door that he needs to get to.

She's gorgeous and different from the other girls. Her hair's a little unruly and she's got on black converse instead of black mary janes. Her tie is a little crooked, and her backpack is sitting at her feet. She's not prim and put together, and for a moment, he feels like he's not completely out of place.

"Excuse me," he says simply.

He realizes quickly - or rather, he's reminded once again - how very different this school is from his last one. At his last one, he would have barked an order or a threat. Actually, who's he kidding? At his old school, no one would have dared to stand in front of his locker.

"What?" she asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's my locker," he states, pointing to the door behind her.

"Oh," she says, kicking her bag out of the way and stepping aside. "Sorry."

"No worries," he says, tossing his gym bag and his backpack into the locker and reaching for his notebook and textbook.

"It's alphabetical," she says. She peeks at the title of the text book in his hands before looking up at him.

She notices his strong jaw and blue eyes and dark hair. She notices the little cleft in his chin and the way the sleeves of his white button down are rolled up. She sees his muscles move as he places the lock on the door. He's new, she knows, and she can tell right away that he's a ball player. He doesn't look like any science student she's ever met, and she assumes he's not an artist.

"What?"

"Lockers," she clarifies. "Peyton Sawyer. You're Nathan Scott?" she asks, and he nods his head as he furrows his brow. "I've heard about you."

The school has been trying to recruit him since her freshman year, and so the locker next to hers was always left open for him. It's not the only one. There are lockers for players who don't go to Oak Lake scattered down the halls, and she's sure the faculty gets a huge sense of pride when those lockers are filled.

"Uh oh," he mutters, and she lets out a laugh.

"Come on. We have the same class," she says when she takes a glance at his schedule

She steps away from him and starts walking down the hall. He looks her up and down once more before he follows her, and he has no idea why she's not telling him what she's heard. He wants to ask her, but he's kind of afraid that it'll just be the bad things, and as much as he loved being the king of his old school, he kind of likes that he can be anonymous for a bit.

"Mr. Campbell spits when he talks, so sit in the back with me," she says as they make their way down the hall.

"Thanks for the tip," he says, smirking in a way that she's sure makes girls swoon. She's kind of swooning. "You have to be an artist."

"What?" she asks, looking over at him. "Why?"

"Well, you're not a baller," he says with a laugh. "And you're way too hot to be a science geek."

"They're not _all_ geeks," she explains, and he nods his head again. "But yes, I'm an artist."

She's not sure why she got a rush when he said she was hot. The boys at this school don't say things like that. They use words like _beautiful_ and_ stunning_ and _pretty_. Not hot. She can't remember the last time someone called her hot.

They step into the class room and she points to the desk next to the one she sits in. He's surprised to see that he's about two weeks ahead of this lesson plan, and so he can sit back and relax and cross that homework off his list. All he'll have to do is the assignments, and he'll be fine.

He watches Peyton as she takes notes, and he sees the way she tucks her curls behind her ear when they get in her way, and the way her hand holds her pen, as though if she holds it too tightly, it won't work. He assumes that's just some artist's trick, but it's kind of sexy. She's got delicate features, and he's kind of intrigued by her.

She can tell he's staring at her, and when she looks at him and raises an eyebrow, he doesn't blush or look away or apologize. He smiles.

This boy is trouble. She can see it right away.

But she smiles back anyway.

----

He's off to history during the afternoon of his second day, when he sees her talking to a few girls in the hallway. He sends her a smile, and she smiles back, and he notices how she doesn't look away immediately or start to blush like other girls do. She's kind of the only person he really knows so far, except a few guys on the team, and what he knows of her, he's liking so far. Those legs of hers aren't hurting her cause, either.

So maybe she doesn't blush, and she's thankful for that, but she's really glad he can't see her palms sweating as she holds her books.

"Who's that?" Catherine asks.

"Nathan Scott," Peyton fills in when she looks away from him after he's passed the group of girls.

"The basketball player they've been trying to recruit for three years?" Claire pipes in.

"Yeah," Peyton confirms. "He seems alright."

"Alright?" Ginny asks. "That guy is _way_ more than alright, Peyton."

They all giggle as Peyton rolls her eyes. And that's when she blushes.

She adores her girlfriends, but they're all gossips in the purest sense of the word. She's known them all for ages, and they're all in the science program. She somehow fits into their group more than with the other artists. She likes that they can just talk about anything, not just brushstrokes or formulas.

She's known Claire the longest. Their mothers used to be close friends, so they were grouped together since they were in diapers. They somehow managed to develop similar tastes and that little bit of a rebellious streak that had them riding their bikes to the mall for shirts their fathers deemed too revealing, and drinking coffee when they were only 11, even though they hated the taste. Claire started dating the class president when they were in sophomore year, and now she wears his family's crest on an heirloom 'promise' ring on her left hand, and he's a freshman at MIT.

Catherine is a environmental science whiz kid who was lured to Oak Lake from a fancy New York private school to help lead a research team studying the effects of...well, something that Peyton doesn't really understand, but is kind of proud of nonetheless. Cath, as they call her, has a heart of gold and leads the school's environment society. Her parents divorced when she was little, so she spends every second weekend with her dad in Richmond. She drives a cute little hybrid car, and petitioned for any student who does the same to gain extra credit. She won that fight, and every so often, you'll see her smiling at the sight of Prius and Civic hybrids lining up in the parking lot.

Ginny - short for Virginia - was born and raised in this little town, just like Claire and Peyton. Her father's family owns a hundred year old publishing company, and her mother is their most prominent author. They joke that they aren't sure where Ginny's aptitude for the sciences comes from, but they're proud of her nonetheless. She spent the summer prior to their senior year editing and fact checking a science fiction novel that dealt with the possibility of time travel and questions about the space-time continuum.

"Whatever, I've heard stories," Peyton scoffs as they start walking down the hall.

"Oh please. This is high school. You have to know they're probably exaggerations," Claire says, waving her hand in the air to brush off Peyton's comment.

"Two cheerleaders at one time? Stealing a bus and taking it for a joyride?" Peyton lists off. "Performance enhancing drugs?"

"And why does that bother you?" Ginny inquires with a raised eyebrow.

"All I'm saying, is that the guy is probably trouble," Peyton says, stopping when she gets to the door of her calculus class.

"Well, I thought you liked trouble," Catherine points out in her horrible, teasing southern accent, making the other girls laugh. "And look who it is." She nods in the direction of the raven-haired boy in the very class Peyton's going to.

"Seeya Peyton," Claire sings.

"Get out of here!" she shouts with a smile.

The three other girls laugh again as Peyton steps into her class shaking her head. There's only one seat open, and it's next to Nathan. She finds herself smiling at him as she sits down, and she can't help but think that even if there had been another seat open, she probably would have wanted to sit next to him anyway.

"Checking me out in front of your friends?" he asks, leaning over so only she can hear him. She tries to ignore him and arrange her books for the lesson, but he's making it difficult.

"If anyone was checking anyone out in front of my friends," she points out, turning to look at him, "it was _you_ checking _me_ out."

"Yeah, but at least I can admit it," he says with a sly grin as he straightens up in his chair.

The teacher starts writing on the black board, and she's still trying to read the boy next to her. He casts a sideward glance to let her know he knows she's still looking, and she rolls her eyes when he smirks again. He lets out a breathy laugh and shakes his head.

He's going to like it here.

----

He's running late the Friday morning of his first week of school, so he stops into the Starbucks in the middle of town on his way to school for a coffee. There's a coffee cart on campus, but it's at the other end of school, and he doesn't feel like sprinting to his first class.

He spots a girl with a head of blonde curls and a plaid skirt in line as soon as he steps through the door, and he smiles to himself. He's never been so happy to be running late.

They've had a subtle flirtation since that first day they met at their lockers. Little things. He'd catch her looking at him, or she'd catch him looking at her. He'd wink at her in the hallway if she was talking to someone else, or she'd smile at him in the parking lot.

Every day, he's learned a little bit more about her, just from simple conversations. She's an only child and she lives alone with her father. She looked at him like he was crazy when he told her he has his own apartment and he's emancipated from his parents. Neither of them ask prying questions, and neither of them have been uncomfortable with the ones asked, to the best of his knowledge.

But the first thing he noticed about her is still the first thing he notices every time he sees her.

She's absolutely gorgeous.

She's looking through the yogurt selection and he sneaks up behind her, leaning down to speak into her ear.

"Good morning."

"Jesus!" she shouts, swatting his chest as she places one hand on her heart. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," he laughs. But he's not sorry at all. As soon as he speaks his next question, he kicks himself. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here," she tells him.

"Really?" he asks in disbelief.

"No," she laughs, and he shakes his head. "But you should have seen your face."

"I was gonna say. Kids around here don't exactly seem like the working type," he says as they shuffle forward.

"Hey!"

"Are they?" he asks with his head tilted to the side.

"Well...no...But you shouldn't be so quick to judge," she says, poking his chest with her index finger. "But, you can buy me a coffee in place of an apology."

"Do I owe you one?" he asks with a smirk.

"You scared the hell out of me, then implied that my friends and I are all snotty rich kids. You definitely owe me an apology," she states. "And as if _you_ ever had to work a day in your life. Doesn't your grandfather own a Nascar team?"

He momentarily wonders how she knows that about him - he never told her - but he doesn't ask.

"You'd be surprised," he mutters.

She's about to ask him what that means, but the barista asks for their orders, and he shells out the cash while she puts milk and sugar in her coffee.

"You need a ride?" he asks once they step outside again.

"I have my own car," she states, slipping her aviator sunglasses down over her eyes from where they were holding her hair back.

"Of course you do," he says with a smirk.

"Lucky for you, it's in the shop," she says, walking towards his black Mustang.

"Lucky for me, huh?" he asks as he unlocks the door and pulls it open for her.

She certainly didn't see that move coming. The other boys in her school do that, too, but they make it seem pretentious. Nathan makes it...sexy. This is becoming a problem, she thinks.

He gets behind the wheel and puts the top down, and she smiles at him as she puts on her seat belt. She doesn't respond to his last question, and she assumes she doesn't need to.

They drive to school with him stealing glances at her, and her thinking that him shifting gears might just be the sexiest thing she's ever seen a guy do. They don't speak, and Jay-Z's voice is coming through the speakers, reminding her that he's really a jock. Not to say that no one else appreciates a good rap tune every now and again - in fact, this album sits in her collection, too - but the black Mustang convertible, the duffel bag in the back seat with their schools logo on the side, and his calloused hand on the gear shift are all the reminders she needs.

They pull into the parking lot, and she sees her group of girlfriends standing by Ginny's BMW, and they all smile widely when they see Peyton step out of the car with that boy. Ginny had offered her a ride, but she said she was going to walk. She knows they're going to tease her about this.

"Looks like we've got an audience," he says with a smirk, nodding in the direction of the three brunettes as they stare at their friend.

"Please, they'd be staring at you anyway, even if you weren't with me," she says with a smile. She throws the strap of her bag over her shoulder and starts walking in the opposite direction of the girls.

"Aren't you going to say hi?" he asks, catching up to her.

"I'll talk to them later. Their lockers are in at the other end of the school," she explains.

"Oh," he says. "I thought you maybe just didn't want to stop hanging out with me yet."

"We aren't hanging out," she insists with a raised eyebrow, glancing at him quickly. "You were just making up for being a jerk."

"Jerk's a little harsh, don't you think?" he asks incredulously as he holds the door to the school open for her and a few other female students. Peyton doesn't miss how those girls smile and bat their lashes at him.

"Not really," Peyton says, shrugging her shoulders.

He's never been quite so fond of a girl verbally abusing him before.

They make it to their English class, and she notices he's staring again. She's caught him staring at her when she's doing the simplest things. Putting her books in her bag, or pulling on her cardigan. He stares at her often when she's taking notes, and she hasn't failed to notice.

So she discreetly passes him a piece of paper with the word, "_What?!_" written on it.

He smiles to himself and taps his pen on his textbook as he tries to think of the perfect thing to write back. She glares at him after a few moments, and he smirks and shakes his head.

He settles on, "_Quit staring,_" and hands the paper back to her.

He has to stifle his laugh when her jaw drops and she scowls at him. She scribbles, "_You're a jackass"_ and places the paper in his outstretched hand when the teacher has his back to them again.

He writes, "_I still got you to let me buy you coffee and give you a ride._"

She lets out a quiet laugh and shakes her head, and he raises his eyebrow at her like a challenge before she starts writing again. "_That's the only 'ride' we'll be sharing.._."

He almost laughs out loud when he reads it, but he covers it with a fake cough, and it's her turn to raise her brow.

He writes something down and hands it to her, but he holds her hand in his for a moment, and their eyes lock before she pulls her hand away. He smirks to himself when he sees her blush.

She opens the note sees that it reads, "_We'll see about that, Sawyer..._"

She can hardly concentrate through the rest of the class. Every time he shifts in his seat or turns his page, she finds herself wondering what he's thinking or how he's so confident when she's basically been shooting him down since they met. But has she, really? She's kind of been flirting back, she realizes. She smiles when he catches her eye, and they've been talking a little more every day. It's only been a week, and she feels like they're...friends, somehow.

But she doesn't have a ton of guy friends, and the ones she has, have girlfriends, or they're introverted artists who talk to her about underlying themes in each others' paintings. She's got a couple guys on the team who she talks to pretty regularly, since they all grew up together.

She doesn't have friends like Nathan Scott.

The bell rings and she stands to gather her things at the same time he does, and maybe not-so-accidentally, he brushes up against her backside. She shoots him a glare, and he holds up his hands, as though that'll prove his innocence.

"Miss Sawyer, and Mr. Scott, if you'd like to pass notes in my class, I suggest you keep them humourless. Your giggles aren't as discreet as you think they are," Mr. Campbell says, his head down as he tidies his desk.

Nathan nudges Peyton with his elbow as they exit the class, and she's blushing again.

"Thanks a lot!" she cries once they're in the hall. She swats his arm and he just laughs.

"You passed the note to me first!" he points out.

"So!" she says with a laugh. "You're the one who made it all...suggestive."

"Suggestive? Is that smart people talk for _pervy_?" he asks, and she rolls her eyes. "And actually, you're the one who interpreted it that way. I was just talking about driving you to school in my car."

He's right on all accounts, and she can't really say anything in response to refute his claims.

But why was she the one initiating everything? Was he initiating it, but tricking her into _really_ making the first moves? Why did she even care?

"Ooo! Your first game is tonight!" she says with a smile as they get to their lockers. "Nervous?"

It's the first game of the season, and while he's only taken part in a few practices and he was late coming to the school, the coach has made him a starter.

"Nervous?" he scoffs. "I don't get nervous."

"OK, bullshit," she says, and he laughs.

"It's not really nerves," he tells her. "It's more like...I just can't wait to play again."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be great," she says.

He doesn't know how she knew he needed to hear that, but he's thankful. And he doesn't know how she has so much confidence in him, seeing as she's never seen him play before. He's got a couple photos of himself from the basketball camp he told her in passing he went to in the summer, but that's about all she knows about his game. Sure, one of those photos captured him finishing a massive dunk, but still...

"You gonna be there?" he asks as they start down the hall again.

"You might notice me," she says cryptically before heading off down the hall opposite the one his class is in. "Seeya!"

He can only shake his head as he watches her skirt sway while she links her arms through her friends'.

----

This gym is a lot different than the one at Tree Hill. This one is state of the art. They've got flat screens in their locker room to watch game tape, and there's a live feed from the gym for injured players to take in the games from the trainer's room. Their logo is on a carpet in the center of the room that no one's allowed to walk over; if they do, they're benched for the next game.

It's intense, and the pressure is high, but he lives for this. He's missed this. He's missed just getting lost in the game he loves. He's missed game night, when nothing matters but the scoreboard.

The starting lineup is announced over the loudspeakers, and he's surprised when the crowd goes nuts when his name and number are spoken. He knows he's been talked about throughout the town, but this is crazy. There are probably 3,000 people packed in the stands, which is a far cry from the few hundred that would show up at Tree Hill.

He loves every second.

What surprises him most, out of anything, is that Peyton is a cheerleader. She'd never told him, and he'd never seen a uniform or a pompom, and no one's made mention of it. He had no clue until he sees her there in her green and black uniform, while he's wearing the teams jersey for the first time.

She sees the look on his face when he notices her, and she winks at him as he jogs past her. He lets out a laugh and shakes his head. He _really_ didn't see that coming.

He can't say he hates the sight of her in that uniform, though.

He's fouled late in the first, and he watches her out of the corner of his eye, cheering and calling his name. He hits both free throws, and he has to shake his head again when she does a high kick.

He scores a team-high 28 points in the win, and he's happy to have shown his teammates - and classmates, and apparently half the town - why he's at the school.

He tugs on his jacket and makes his way to the parking lot after showering, and he's surprised to see that blonde cheerleader leaning up against his car. She's kind of the only person he really knows, outside of his teammates. A lot of the other students have said hi and welcomed him to the school, but Peyton, he thinks, might be his friend.

"You should be focusing on the game, not the cheerleaders, Scott," she says when he's close enough to hear.

"Yeah, 'cause I played so badly," he scoffs, smirking when she rolls her eyes. "You didn't tell me you were a cheerleader."

"It was worth it to see the look on your face," she tells him.

They both realize it's the second time that day she's said something like that.

"I can't help it. You look sexy as hell in that little skirt," he admits, looking her up and down again. She's resting her weight on one leg, and she's got her knee bent and her hand on her hip. He looks at her face again just in time to see her roll her eyes.

"I wear a skirt every day," she points out.

"Not the same."

"How is it not the same?" she asks indignantly, though the smile stays on her lips.

He steps towards her, close enough that she can reach out and grab him if she wants to, but he doesn't touch her. He'll let her do it if she wants to, but he'll play her a little bit; see if she's into him. It's a game he's been playing - and winning - for years, but he wouldn't be surprised if she blew it off completely. He finds himself thinking that he somehow might actually _like_ it if she blew it off completely.

"One's a hot school girl fantasy, the other's a hot cheerleader fantasy," he says in a low voice, locking eyes with her.

"Win - win, huh?" she asks with a raised brow.

"Definitely," he growls. She laughs, and he smiles at the way her eyes shine when she's happy.

"I've gotta go," she says, stepping away from where he'd almost trapped her between himself and the car. "See you Monday."

"Later, Sawyer," he calls after her, smiling to himself.

He's not sure if she's _playing_ hard to get, or if she really _is_ hard to get.

But he _really_ likes it here.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I am going on a business trip from tomorrow until Monday, so I wanted to update now since I won't have time to do it this weekend. I hope you enjoy.

**----**

Nathan spends most of Saturday exploring the little town he now calls home. He woke up just after 11:00, had a scorching hot shower to soothe his tired muscles, and then had a long conversation with his mom.

She's proud of him, he knows, but he worries about her. She's just left Tree Hill, and she seriously contemplated moving with Nathan and buying a house for the two of them, but for some reason, she said she couldn't. She told him she didn't want Dan to be able to find her, and Nathan doesn't know why she's really quite so terrified of that, but he won't question her. Dan is horrible to everyone he encounters, and Deb paid her dues. She lived in hell with that man for years, and and if she wants to disappear, Nathan's pretty sure she has every right to. She still pays his rent and car note, and she calls every couple days, and he's OK with that.

He's got his ball with him, searching the town for an old court to play on. Sure, the River Court may have started out as Lucas' territory, but Nathan actually finds himself missing the place.

He just doesn't miss the people he used to play there with, namely Lucas himself.

The two of them tried to be friends and brothers, and for a while they were, but that was all erased when the blonde brother started lying and sneaking around. He broke Nathan's trust, and after everything that happened their junior year, it all just made it easier for Nathan to leave.

And now, besides the lack of a public court in this town, Nathan's thinking that leaving Tree Hill was the best decision he's ever made.

He shells out some cash for a protein shake at a little café that one of the guys on the team told him is the best in town, and he keeps walking for some reason. It was days like this - right after summer - that he'd usually head down to the beach and sit for a while. But this town has no beach, and it's a two and a half hour drive to the ocean. Sure, it's Saturday, and he could drive out there if he wanted to. He's seriously considering it when he hears his name called out from behind him.

"Hey," he says with a smile when he turns around and sees Peyton walking towards him.

She's in clothes he's never seen before. That's the thing about a school with uniforms. It's not that she doesn't stand out anyway - she certainly does - but he's definitely liking the skinny jeans ticked into suede boots, and the plain black top she wears.

"How's the town's new superstar?" she asks with a smirk.

"You keep calling me that, and you're gonna get yourself into trouble," he tells her as they start walking together.

"I get the feeling you'd be trouble no matter what I called you," she mumbles, and he chuckles. "What's with the ball?"

"Well, Sawyer, they call this a basketball, and..."

"OK, save the sarcasm," she says, holding up her hand.

"Just looking around a bit, you know? Never know what you're going to find," he says with a shrug.

She surprises him by reaching for his hand and pulling his shake towards herself, stealing a sip from his straw.

"Mmm. That's good," she says appreciatively.

"Yeah, I know," he laughs.

"So, you were looking for a court," she states.

"Are you psychic or something?"

"No," she says with a laugh. "I just have a firm grasp on the obvious."

"Well, any idea where I might find one?" he asks, stealing a glance at her.

Her hair's held back from her face with a black headband, and her curls are swaying as they walk. She's wearing the same aviators he saw her wear the day before, but now he sees Gucci written on the earpiece, and he resists the urge to shake his head. Not that he grew up ever wanting for anything - he doesn't now, either - and maybe he shouldn't be surprised that all his classmates' clothes are designer. For some reason, though, he just didn't see her as a 'label' kind of girl.

"There isn't a public court," she tells him, grinning just a little when his face falls. This boy really does just love the game. "But you can just ask Coach Jennings for the key to the gym, and he'll give you one."

"Seriously?" he asks skeptically. "They'll just give me the key."

"They trust students here. The key only unlocks the gym, and you can't access the rest of the school through the gym doors after hours," she explains with a shrug of her shoulders. "And security's pretty tight on campus. Can't have all those portraits of dead alumni going missing now, can we?"

"Guess not," he laughs. "So where are you heading?"

"Nowhere," she states, glancing up at him. She eyes his shake again, and he sighs and rolls his eyes and holds it out for her to take another sip.

"You're dressed like this, and you're going _nowhere_," he says incredulously, looking her up and down.

She kind of likes the way he doesn't hide it when he's checking her out.

"This is how I dress!" she cries. "Just because you have a skirt fetish..."

"Hey!" he laughs. "It's not a fetish! It's...an appreciation. And you should be flattered."

"Flattered," she says dryly as she waves at a classmate who's walking on the other side of the street.

"Totally," he confirms. "Trust me, there are a lot of girls at school who have _no_ business wearing their skirts that short."

"Nathan!"

"It's true!" he says with a laugh when she hits his arm. "You, on the other hand..._You_ can pull off the skirt."

She raises an eyebrow at him, and it's right there on the tip of her tongue. She's got a sarcastic and definitely sexual comment in response to his last one, but she can't speak it.

It hits her that she's a little nervous.

He laughs to himself, very quietly, when he sees her tuck her hair behind her ear and look to the ground. Exactly the reaction he was going for.

"Well listen, if you're not going anywhere, maybe I could come with you," he states confidently.

She's sure he doesn't mean that to sound as philosophical as she hears it, but she smiles anyway.

"I have to be home by 4:00," she says, casting a glance his way. He smiles like he's just won a prize, and her heart races a little bit.

"So, what can we do for two hours in this town?" he asks after checking his watch. There's a hint of innuendo in his voice that she can't say she hates. But why can't she? She shouldn't be falling for his flirtations. She's not that kind of girl.

But she still finds herself feeling like two hours isn't really enough time to have with him on this particular day.

He jogs to the nearest garbage can and pitches his empty cup, then to where his car is parked and tosses the ball in the backseat. And it's then that she notices how his jeans fit him perfectly, and his red polo shirt somehow shows off the muscles of his back. The guy is gorgeous, and she finally lets herself really believe what her friends have been telling her all week; Nathan Scott is definitely the hottest guy in school.

"Come on," she says once he's at her side again.

He follows her down a little side alley - and even the alley's in this place are immaculately kept - with him questioning her the entire time until she tells him, jokingly, to shut up. She turns to look at him when they come to an unmarked black door, and he just looks at her like she's crazy.

"Trust me?" she asks.

"I don't know you well enough to trust you," he points out with a smirk.

"You just followed me down an alley," she says with a raised eyebrow.

"That's because you look so good from behind," he teases. But he's not really teasing, and he laughs when she blushes.

"Will you just open it?"

"No way!" he cries. "I'm not opening the creepy door of death."

"Are you _scared_?" she asks with wide eyes and a teasing tone.

"I'm not scared," he pans.

"You _are_ scared!" she sings, and he rolls his eyes. "Aww, don't worry." She reaches out and places her palm on his chest, patting it patronizingly. "I'll protect you."

"Open the damn door, Sawyer," he demands with a smile.

"Don't you want to prove to me that you're a big, strong man?" she asks.

He looks at her and her eyes are shining, obviously thrilled that she's getting the chance to tease him so much, and he knows that he's got to prove himself.

He just doesn't do it the way she just suggested.

He places his hand on her hip and pushes her back against the brick wall of the building they stand beside, and he smiles when her breath hitches in her throat. Her eyes darken when she notices his face is only inches from hers, and she really can't say she hates the way his large hand feels on her hip. Her hand falls to his chest while the other holds onto his bicep, and it's all she can do not to just kiss him. Or let him kiss her.

"Strong enough for you?" he asks gruffly.

He doesn't even wait for her to respond before he moves away from her and reaches for the handle of the door, pulling it open. Her back is still against the wall, and she's looking straight ahead, not at him.

Oh, he's definitely strong enough for her.

"I don't like you," she mumbles, pushing herself off the wall and through the door.

"Oh, I think you do," he states with a laugh. They both know it's true.

He follows her through a narrow hallway and then before he can ask where they are, they're entering what looks like an upscale club. The furniture is all oak, and the table tops hold candle holders. There are a few leather club chairs scattered around the room, and an area with a few couches. There's a bar stocked with expensive scotches and vodkas and just about any other label Nathan's ever heard of. The stage houses a large black grand piano, and the lighting in the place is dim. He's still pretty impressed.

"Hey Dom," Peyton calls to the man sitting at one of the tables with papers spread in front of him.

"Peyton!" he says fondly, getting up to hug her gently and kiss her cheek. "What brings you by?"

"Just showing a new friend around," she says before turning to the boy standing just a little bit behind her. "This is..."

"Nathan Scott," Dom says with a smile. "Saw the game last night."

"Nice to meet you," Nathan says, shaking the man's hand.

"Well, I'll head to the office. You take your time, kid," Dom says, winking at Peyton while Nathan's head is turned. She rolls her eyes and the older man chuckles. "You want any coffee, you help yourselves. No alcohol."

Peyton laughs and nods her head, and Dom heads up the iron spiral staircase to the office with the frosted glass door.

"OK, you wanna explain?" Nathan asks as they stroll leisurely though the club.

"This was my mom's favourite place in the world," she says, smiling as she runs her hand along the bar. "My dad bought it after she died."

"Oh," he says, shocked at hearing that information. "I'm sorry. I didn't..."

"I never told you," she says, catching his eye. "I was eight when she passed away. She and my dad used to come here every Saturday night when they could. They'd sip martinis and listen to jazz. It was their date night."

"Sounds like they had a good relationship," Nathan says. "My parents never did anything like that."

She doesn't really know what to say in response, so she just presses on. "When I was 11, the place was put up for sale, and my dad heard that the new owners were going to turn it into a comedy club, so he paid way over asking so he could keep it open."

"That's..."

"What?" she asks when he doesn't finish.

"It's just kind of romantic," he says, shrugging his shoulders. He smiles when she smiles, and she's convinced that this boy isn't the boy everyone thinks he is.

"So now I help out sometimes, booking artists and stuff," she says, stepping behind the bar and reaching for two mugs. "Dom's been the manager here since...forever. He's like an uncle or something."

"This place is awesome," he says, taking the coffee she hands him.

"What about your family?" she asks, wanting to know what he meant by his earlier comment.

"The nicest thing my dad ever did for my mom was sign the divorce papers," he says confidently. He notices her eyes go wide, and he continues. "It's a really long story. I...my dad's not a good guy."

"You don't have to tell me anything," she says, leaning her elbows on the bar.

And that's the moment that he realizes he _wants_ to tell her.

He tells her the whole story. From Karen, to Lucas, to Deb and how he spent his childhood and, well, most of his life under the intense pressure to be the perfect player. He tells her about his junior year - leaving out a few details he's not quite ready to share. He explains that he and Lucas became close, but they don't speak anymore. She doesn't ask why, and he doesn't tell her. He says that he was legally emancipated, but it didn't do much to keep his father away, and that Dan nearly died twice in the last year - once of a heart attack, and once in a suspected arson at his dealership.

She's sitting next to him at the bar by the time he finishes his brief telling of his life story, and she really doesn't know what to say. The mood of their chance meeting has been brought down considerably, and she wants to lighten it again.

"I can't whistle," she states abruptly, and his eyes fly up to meet hers. She blows air through her lips and he starts to laugh.

"How can you not whistle?" he asks. She giggles and he just shakes his head. "That's pathetic."

"I know!" she says, raising her hands in the air. They laugh a bit more until she puts her hand on his thigh for a reason she can't really explain. She glances at the clock on the wall, and his eyes follow hers, and she moves her hand - though she finds she really doesn't want to.

"It's 4:30," he points out before looking back to her.

"Yeah," she sighs. "Come on."

She hops off her stool and heads back towards the back door they entered through, and he has no clue why he isn't just kissing her yet. The old Nathan would have. Hell, he'd probably have slept with her by now. And sure, he's only known her a week, but that never used to matter. There's something different about this girl, though, and it's not just the fact that she can ignore his comments, or make comments of her own. He's pretty sure he likes her. Likes her enough to not want to ruin whatever relationship it is that they have by sleeping with her. She's definitely worth more than a one-night stand or a friend-with-benefits, and he's gotten the impression that she wouldn't do either of those things if he suggested them.

"So listen," she says once they're outside again. "I've really gotta run, but...I had fun today."

"Me too," he insists. "And not just because you look ridiculously sexy in those boots."

OK, so he didn't say he wouldn't _try_ to sleep with her; he's just pretty sure that's not _all_ he'll do.

"Glad you approve," she says, dryly.

"So where are you running off to, anyway?" he asks as they start down the alley.

"If I tell you, I'm sure you'll have 100 dirty scenarios in your head, and I really don't want to hear them," she says with a laugh.

"Secret cheerleader meeting?" he asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Actually..."

"Oh God," he growls, jokingly taking a deep breath.

"No, it's not like that," she laughs. "It's Ginny's birthday tomorrow, so we're having a slumber party at my place."

"That's...incredibly girly," he points out. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"Hey!" she cries indignantly. "I'm a girl!"

"Yes. You. Are," he says in a low voice, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "You're gonna talk about me, aren't you?"

"Pretty confident about that, Scott," she says with a raised eyebrow.

"Come on. I'm the new guy, you've been talking to me every day, I played decently last night," he listed off. "Not to mention...look at me."

"I honestly don't even know why I talk to you." The way she says it tells him that she's actually telling the truth, to him and maybe to herself at the same time.

"Again," he says after a moment, "look at me."

"I'll seeya, Nathan," she says, rolling her eyes as they get back to his car.

"You want a ride?" he asks.

"Are you forgetting the note?" she asks, raising her eyebrow and making him laugh. She turns on her heel to walk away, and she shouts, "quit staring!" over her shoulder.

He just smiles to himself as he turns the key and pulls onto the street. That smile stays in place until he gets to his apartment and listens to a voicemail from his 'brother'. He pushes the delete button before the message is even finished, and then he's smiling for a whole different reason.

----

Peyton gets to her house and runs up to her room where her three best friends are already hanging out, watching the first season of The OC - as was the plan for their slumber party - and they all turn to look at her as soon as she's through the door.

"Sandra let us in," Ginny explains, turning the page of the magazine in her hands. "Since you were M.I.A."

Imagine their surprise when Ginny, Claire, and Catherine showed up and the only person home was the housekeeper.

"I was...I got...sidetracked," Peyton says lamely. She unzips her boots and steps into her walk-in closet to change into her sweats, and as she's pulling the oversized 'Oak Lake Basketball' tee shirt over her head, her mind briefly wanders to how good Nathan looked in his uniform.

She steps back into the room, and there are three girls staring at her with smirks on their faces.

"What?" she asks tentatively.

"Sidetracked?" Ginny asks disbelievingly.

Peyton sighs and rolls her eyes, but she really can't wait to tell her friends about her couple hours with Nathan.

"I...bumped into Nathan," she says softly, laying back on her bed.

"_Bumped into him_?" Catherine asks. "_Please_ tell me that's not a euphemism."

Catherine has vowed to save herself for marriage, and while the other girls respect that and don't bother her too much - or too seriously - about it, they all roll their eyes every time she makes comments like those. For starters, Claire, Ginny, and Peyton all have their own beliefs and morals. But also, Peyton thinks that Catherine should know better than to believe that she'd sleep with someone she just met.

"It's not, you prude," Peyton teases. "I was going to check on the club, and he was walking down Main Street. We just talked a bit."

"You kind of made it sound like he wasn't the talking type," Claire points out.

"Well, I may have been wrong," Peyton says with a laugh. "He's...actually kind of...nice."

"Sweetheart," Ginny says, shaking her head, "boys who look like _that_? Aren't nice."

"I think he _is_, though," Peyton says, almost in surprise as she sits up to face the other girls. "I mean, he's like, _the_ _king_ of the sexual innuendo, but he's kind of sweet, too."

"You are into him," Claire squeals excitedly, turning to Catherine. "Peyton just called a boy _sweet_. She likes him!"

"Clearly, you have feelings for him," Catherine points out.

"I _feel_ like he's got an ego the size of North Carolina and he thinks he's God's gift to women," Peyton says as she laughs.

"He is kind of the complete package, though," Ginny says objectively. "I mean, he's talented, funny, and sweet, apparently. He's insanely hot, and that smirk? I mean...that thing should be a registered weapon."

"He does know how to use it," Peyton mumbles. The three other girls share looks, and they all know that their friend is definitely crushing on the new boy. "I _can't_ like him, though. Right? I mean...he's arrogant and _pushy_. And he's always...staring at me like I'm some sort of..."

"Girl he likes?" Claire says with a raised eyebrow.

Peyton finds herself realizing that not only does she like Nathan, but that he may just like her, too.

"Can I just crush out on Seth Cohen instead? He's so much safer!" she whines, pointing to the actor on the screen of the television in her room.

"Honey, _safe_ isn't fun," Ginny says seductively, and they all giggle at that.

The thing is, she's got a point.

The other thing is, after feeling Nathan's bicep and having his hand on her hip, she thinks that real boys are just _so_ much better than the ones on T.V.


	3. Chapter 3

Nathan admittedly lingers in the parking lot a little bit on Monday morning, hoping to see Peyton, but after a few minutes, he heads inside with his coffee in his hand (yes, he may have gone to the Starbucks that morning in case she'd be there, too) and goes to his locker.

To his surprise, she's already there.

She's got one leg bent and her back to her locker, and she smiles when she sees him walking down the hall.

"Hey," she says.

She doesn't move, even though he can just barely open his locker with her standing so close, and he brushes her arm with his hand because it's easy to do and she doesn't seem to mind.

"How was the slumber party?" he asks with a smirk, tossing his books onto the shelf.

"Not at all like you think it was," she says with a raised eyebrow, turning to look at him and leaning against the wall on her shoulder.

"Well, don't ruin it for me, OK?" he says, and she laughs and shakes her head.

"Come on," she says. "I'll let you walk me to class."

"But you're in the art hall this period," he points out.

But he's already walking with her.

"And you have a free period," she tells him. "Wait, what are you even doing here right now, then? You should be sleeping in or something."

"I'm gonna hit the weight room for a bit," he says. He reaches out and bumps fists with one of the guys on the team, and she's reminded again just how much of a jock he really is.

"Because you're so out of shape?" she says, eyeing his torso. He just laughs softly and shakes his head.

"Well...maybe I just wanted to see you," he says softly, looking over at her. Their eyes lock as they make their way down the hall, and he tugs her towards him when she's about to bump into someone.

She can't find the words to say the entire rest of the walk to her class, and she's acutely aware that she can still feel the spot on her arm, just above the elbow, where he gripped her and pulled her towards him.

"This is me," she says softly, pointing to the classroom door to their right.

"OK. I'll see you in Calc," he says with a smile. He's drawing stares for being in the art hallway when everyone now knows he's _Nathan Scott_.

"Get out of here before someone asks you for an autograph," she says sarcastically, and he winks at her just before they go their separate ways.

He's walking back down the hall and towards the locker room when he looks to his side and sees a pretty brunette with a red headband in her hair walking next to him.

"You're Peyton's friend, right?" he asks needlessly. He knows she is. He just doesn't know which one she is.

"Ginny," she says, holding out her hand, which he shakes. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," he says. "Oh! Happy birthday."

"Thanks," she says sincerely. She didn't see that coming. "You busy?"

"No. I mean, not really," he says with a shrug of his shoulders. He doesn't know why he's nervous, but he is. He's worried about what this girl's going to say to him, and he's even more worried that it'll be a warning to stay away from Peyton.

And that's pretty much the last thing he wants to do at this point.

"Let's chat," she says, and he has to laugh when she links her arm through his and leans him towards the heavy oak door and onto the quad.

He buys her a latté from the coffee cart, and she makes a mental note to share that with the girls. She just wants to find out just how sweet Nathan Scott really is. And also if maybe he's sweet because he knows it'll give him what he wants from girls. If he's a player, Peyton deserves to know right away so she won't waste her time. And if a best friend isn't going to figure all that out, who will?

"I've seen you around, so I knew we had spare together," she says by way of explanation as they take a seat on one of the benches.

"Yeah, I've seen you, too," he says with a smile. "Peyton just hasn't introduced me, even though I've asked."

"She's keeping you all to herself," Ginny says, laughing when she notices the tips of his ears turn red. OK. That's sign number one that he's actually got feelings for Peyton. "The other girls have like, crazy schedules. I mean, what senior actually chooses not to have a free period?"

"Sounds insane to me," he says. She nods her head and takes a sip of her drink. She thinks she's going to cut through the small talk and get some info.

"OK, so Nathan," she starts, turning her body to his. "Tell me about your old school."

"Not much to know," he says with a shrug. He notes that her eyes are the same colour as Brooke's, and makes a note to text his old friend later to say hey. "Pretty much just a small town public school with a kick ass ball team and a whole lot of drama."

"Drama like what?" she asks, leaning forward and waiting for the gossip.

"Like half-brothers and family dysfunction. Substance abuse and teen fatherhood - not for me, but...yeah. And lots of lies and just...a lot of stuff," he finishes with a laugh.

He didn't mention teen marriage, and he's not sure why, but he figures that if anyone should hear that, it's Peyton. But then, he's treating her like she's a girl he's going to date, and he has no real idea what she's thinking about him.

"Sounds juicy," she says.

"OK, you're way too much like my friend Brooke," he laughs.

"Well, _she_ sounds awesome," Ginny says, and he just chuckles again because that's exactly what Brooke would say. "So I just wanted to talk to you, because, well, we haven't yet. And honestly, you need to expand your horizons."

"Is that right?" he asks, turning to look at her.

"Yup. You can't just roll with the jocks and with Peyton," she informs him. "You need some of the cool science kids as friends, too."

"See, at my old school - no offense - but there was no such thing as 'cool science kids'," he tells her, and it's her turn to laugh.

"And that is the beauty of Oak Lake," she says. "Science kids can be cheerleaders and it's not totally out of character. I mean, Catherine grew up in New York City. She's like, the most stylish, eco-friendly, against-animal-testing, 'green' advocate in the world." She pauses to take a sip of her latté. "She's also a bit of a prude, but we don't hold it against her."

Oh, yes. This girl is Brooke's carbon copy.

"What about...Claire, is it?" he asks timidly, showing remorse at forgetting the name.

"Yeah," she says with a smile. Her opinion of him is quickly changing. "She and Peyton grew up together. Well, the three of us did, but those two even more. Their mom's were like, best friends. She's like, really into molecular biology and stuff, but she's awesome. She's hilarious, but in a quiet kind of way, you know? Like she'll just be sitting there and you think she's not even paying attention, then she'll like, cut you with a one-liner."

"Sounds...Actually, it doesn't surprise me at all that you four are like, inseparable." He takes a sip of his coffee while Ginny laughs. "But what about you?"

"I'm a physics...I'd say specialist if that didn't make me sound like a 50 year old man with tweed elbow patches," she laughs. "Don't tell them, but I'm totally the glue that holds the group together."

"I wouldn't doubt it," he says with a smile.

"So, you have a thing for her, huh?" Ginny asks bluntly.

"What?" he asks, almost spitting out his coffee. He doesn't need to ask who Ginny's referring to.

"Oh, please," she scoffs. "Guys don't spend that much time with girls unless they're trying to...well, guys just don't spend that much time with girls."

"I..."

"You like her," Ginny says with a shrug. "It's cool. Actually, you seem like a decent guy, and she could use that."

"Well, I'm..."

"Peyton's a flirt, but I'm sure you already know that. And she's not a tease, but she gets scared easy," she presses on. "So...don't give up on her if you have to work a little. I'm sure you're not used to it."

"Work?" he asks. Clearly, this girl doesn't know his past. "I've put in my time."

"Doubt it," she mutters. "Anyway, just...let her do her thing."

"I was planning on it," he says with a smile. "Peyton's...awesome."

"I know, right?" She stands from her place and Nathan follows, and they start back towards the door. "Plus, she's definitely cute."

"Cute?" he scoffs. "No. She's...she's not cute."

"Well, what is she, then?" Ginny asks with a raised eyebrow and a barely contained grin.

"She's what we guys call...hot," he says confidently, pulling the door open and holding it for Ginny. "Or sexy. Or just...amazing." He pauses and winces when he remembers who he's talking to. "You're gonna tell her I said all that, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter," she laughs. "You've already told her, yourself."

He just chuckles to himself, because it's obvious Peyton talked about him at her 'slumber party', just as he'd predicted.

"Well, I've actually gotta go and do some work," she says. "But it was great talking to you."

"Yeah. You too, Ginny," he says with a smile. "See you around."

She waves and heads down the hall toward the library, and he just shakes his head and makes his way to the locker room, tossing his coffee in the garbage can as he walks. Ginny seemed cool, and he actually feels like he got some insight from her about Peyton. He can't say he hates their friendship as it stands. The cute flirting and the smiles and stolen glances are actually pretty fun. And if he has to keep that up for a while, that's OK with him. He's pretty sure he'll like the outcome of it.

He spends the entire period trying to focus on the weights he's slinging, but he can't focus on anything but those green eyes of hers. He has no idea when he became the kind of guy to really notice that kind of thing, but he just likes her, and Ginny totally saw through that. He has to wonder if Peyton sees through it, too.

He walks back to his locker and Peyton's waiting there, toying with her silver necklace and staring into space. She smiles when she sees him, and his heart races a little bit at the sight of her there, obviously waiting for him.

She's not his girlfriend, though.

Yet. Yet? he thinks. Where did that come from?

"Hey," he says as nonchalantly as he can, considering his head and heart are playing tricks on him.

"Hey."

He opens his locker and reaches for his calculus books, and he looks at her out of the corner of his eye when he notices she's still staring at him.

"What?" he asks, unnerved, looking down at himself to make sure he's not out of sorts.

"You're all wet," she observes, her voice low. She clears her throat when she realizes what she's just said, and the smirk he gives her has her blushing.

"That turn you on or something?" he asks, resting his forearm against the locker as he turns his body to hers.

"I was just...saying," she tells him, pulling her books from her own locker.

But _damn_, he smells good.

"I had a shower after my workout," he explains. He watches as her slender arms struggle with balancing her coffee and her books as she tries to close her locker. He takes her books for her, and he winks when she looks at him questioningly.

"Thanks," she says, tucking her hair behind her ears. She has no idea why she's nervous around him now, so she decides that she's just not going to. "So, you think I'm amazing, huh?"

And just maybe she'll try to make him a little nervous.

"Well, I haven't exactly made it a secret," he says with a laugh. She rolls her eyes, and she realizes he's still holding her books as they start walking down the hall. "How have you and Ginny talked already? You were in class."

"We have our ways," she says coyly, laughing when he shakes his head. "She can be a little...full on. Sorry if she was..."

"Nah," he says, dismissing her apology. "She's a cool girl. I can see why you're friends." She just looks at him for a moment, wondering who in the hell Nathan Scott really is. "What?"

"Nothing!" she proclaims quickly. "Nothing. I'm just...you're...Something else."

"That usually doesn't mean anything good," he says with a raised brow as they enter their classroom and take their seats. She can't help but smile when he places her books on her desk for her.

"No, I didn't mean it in a bad way...You're just...kind of surprising," she explains.

"Well, how would I lure you in if I didn't keep you guessing?" he asks, and she rolls her eyes and turns her attention to the front of the class.

Her attention wanders to him throughout the whole class, to the point where she knows she's going to have to borrow someone's notes. All she can smell is whatever cologne he's wearing, and all she notices is the way his large hand toys with his pencil, and how he runs his hand through his hair when he's frustrated.

He catches her eye again towards the end of the class, but rather than give her a smug smirk to let her know he's completely aware that she's looking at him, he just smiles a genuine smile, and she gives him one back. There's a time for games and a time to be sweet, and that moment was a sweet one.

----

A couple days later, he has a team meeting at lunch, then their next class isn't together, but when he sees her at their lockers right before their shared English class, he can see a devious look in those green eyes that he won't deny is insanely sexy.

"You're ahead in English, right?" she asks as she sets his books in his locker.

"Yeah," he drawls out in confusion. "Why?"

"Because we're skipping and I wanted to make sure you'd be OK if we did," she says, slinging her bag over her arm and closing her locker door.

"Peyton," he says, shaking his head, "as tempting as that is, I can't just skip class on my second week of school."

"Really? I guess it's a good thing Coach Jennings asked me to show you around town, then," she says, eyes shining as he looks at her in confusion. "What? I just told him that you had mentioned not really feeling at home here. He's _quite_ thankful that I'm generous enough to help out."

He'd mentioned nothing of the sort, but he definitely liked this sneaky side of her.

"So we're not really skipping," he says, reaching for his bag before closing his locker and following her towards the front door of the school.

"No," she says. "And actually, I get extra credit for being a 'Student Ambassador', so you're doing me a favour."

"Is that right?" he asks, holding the door for her to walk through. "I'm sure I can think of a few ways you can pay me back."

"Easy, Scott," she says with a laugh.

"So...where are we going, exactly?" he asks, noticing that they're walking to his car and not hers.

"Beach," she states.

"The beach is two hours away!"

"OK," she says, shrugging her shoulder. "But it's a beautiful day, and I have a two piece in my bag, and laying on the beach one last time seems like kind of the perfect way to spend an afternoon, doesn't it?"

"You had me at 'two piece'," he says, holding the passenger door open for her.

He puts the top down on his convertible and slips into the driver's seat while she searches through her iPod for the perfect music. She settles on something she thinks might be the perfect happy medium between his taste and hers, and soon enough, a mashup of The Beatles and Jay-Z is flowing through the speakers.

She lets her hair down and scolds him, reminding him to keep his eyes on the road when he looks at her a little too long. He tells her she can't do things like that an expect him not to stare.

She slips her feet out of her flip flops and perches them on the dash, tapping her painted-red toes to the beat of the music, and leaning her head back against the seat. Her eyes are closed and the sun is hitting her face just right, and he's overcome with the urge to take her hand. It's adolescent and boyish, and it doesn't really mean anything, but he just wants to have her delicate hand in his.

So he weaves his fingers through hers and their hands sit between them as their elbows rest on the center console. She opens her eyes and looks over at him, and she gives him a sweet little smile before he turns back to the road, and she closes her eyes again.

They start talking when she starts clicking through her music again, and he teases her for having Queen on her playlist, which launches her into a rant about the artistic genius of Freddie Mercury. She plays some old school Common, and he looks at her like she's the world's greatest mystery.

She holds onto the wheel while he takes off his button down Oxford shirt, leaving him in just a white tee shirt, and then her hand is right back in his for the rest of the drive.

Before he realizes it, they're at _his_ beach. He could have gone anywhere else along the coast, but he brought them straight to Tree Hill, and he doesn't really know why. He wonders if maybe he just kind of wants her to see where he's from.

He pulls up to the beach house and steps out of the car, and Peyton looks at him in confusion.

"Don't worry, we aren't breaking in," he says with a laugh.

"This is your place?" she asks as she grabs her bag and follows him up the steps.

"Yeah," he says. "Well, it's our beach house. My dad lives in the house I grew up in on the other side of town."

He unlocks the door and Peyton looks around once they're inside. She sees photos on the mantle and the furniture that's probably hardly ever used. She notices a few paintings she's seen before - well, prints of paintings she's seen before - and a few basketball trophies in a case against the wall in the living room.

"There's a bathroom just down the hall on the right if you want to change," he suggests, and she smiles at him. "I'm just going to run upstairs and grab some shorts."

He's in his bedroom, and when he opens the drawer to pull out a pair of board shorts, he notices the photo of he and Haley from their wedding day sitting atop the dresser. But looking at that photo doesn't break his heart the way it used to. He knows there are a lot of reasons for that, and one of them is in this house with him.

He sets the frame in the drawer and changes, and when he walks back downstairs, he sees Peyton standing at the back of the house in front of the sliding door, looking out at the beach with just her black bathing suit on as she pulls up her hair.

"Hey," he says, startling her slightly.

"Hey. This place is awesome, Nathan," she says. "Changing in a bathroom is way better than having to change in the back seat of your car."

"Nope," he says with a smirk, and she rolls her eyes.

He hands her a towel and they step outside and walk down onto the sand. There are a few people milling about, soaking up the last few days of really great weather, but Nathan and Peyton find a spot not too far from the house and lay out their towels. She lays down, and he's standing over her, looking down at all the bare skin he's never seen before, and he's not hiding that his attention is focused only on her.

"I can almost see up your shorts," she points out nonchalantly before putting on her sunglasses and closing her eyes.

"Like what you see?" he asks, and she just scoffs and shakes her head.

Truthfully, she definitely likes the way he looks with no shirt on. The boy is pretty much flawless, and she has spent enough time staring at him to know it. Even that scar on the left side of his stomach is really sexy.

"Where'd you get that scar?" she asks.

"Which one?"

She turns onto her side and props herself up on her elbow, reaching over to fun her index finger along the line of pink flesh. Her touch is gentle, and he's not sure why he was expecting any different, but he certainly likes the way she's moving her fingertip back and forth over that scar.

"Got into a little accident," he says, hoping to downplay the incident. "My uncle took me to the track and I just lost control."

"Wait...your uncle is Coo...?"

"Cooper Lee," he finishes.

"Oh, he's _so_ hot!" she says with a smile.

"Oh, he's _so_ 30 years old," he laughs, and she scowls at him.

"You really crashed a race car?" she asks, compassion in her eyes.

"Yeah," he says regrettably. "It was a little scary, but...I'm fine now."

"Wow, that's..."

"Nathan!?"

And _that's_ why he shouldn't have come to Tree Hill.

He sits up and rests his weight on his elbows, and he shoots Peyton a comforting look as she does the same thing.

"Hey Brooke," he says, smiling at his friend. Of all the people he used to know, she's kind of the only one he misses. "How's it going?"

"Get up and hug me, you jerk!" she demands. Peyton laughs as he does what he's told, and she stands, too, so she doesn't feel out of place.

"Brooke, this is my friend Peyton," he says. "Peyton, this is Brooke."

"You cheer for Oak Lake, right?" Brooke asks as the girls shake hands. "I've seen you at tournaments and stuff."

Nathan wonders how he ever could have missed seeing Peyton before.

"What are you doing here? Brooke asks. "Shouldn't you be at school? Skipping already?"

"Something like that," Nathan says, smiling over at Peyton as she laughs. "How are things around here?"

"So weird," Brooke says seriously, shaking her head. "Everything's changed, Nathan. It's totally bizarro world."

"Like what? I mean, other than me leaving," Nathan asks curiously, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, Lucas is team captain, and Skills has your spot in the lineup, but...Nathan, it isn't the same without you," Brooke says quietly, like it's the town's biggest secret. "And I know you aren't coming back, and that you kicked ass in your game on Friday, and..."

"You followed my game?" he asks with a smirk.

"You're my friend," Brooke states. "Just because you move away doesn't mean that I stop caring."

Peyton smiles at the friendship Nathan has with this girl. It's clear that he and Brooke have known each other for a long time.

"Haley moved in with me," Brooke explains timidly.

"Oh," he says, nodding his head gently. "That's...that's good."

"Yeah," Brooke says softly. "I mean..she's not exactly the most happy-go-lucky girl right now, but..."

"Brooke," he says, shaking his head as he cuts her off.

Peyton doesn't know who Haley is, but it's clear to her that it's an ex-flame of some sort.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that," Brooke says, placing her hand on Nathan's forearm. "But listen, I have to run. I'm just on my way to meet Luke."

"Yeah," he says quickly, "do your thing."

"It was really good to see you. It feels like it's been way more than just a couple weeks!" Brooke says, wrapping her arms around him again. "I miss you, Superstar."

"I miss you too, Brooke," he says as he hugs her back. "But...could you...not tell anyone I was here?" Brooke takes a deep breath and forces a smile and nods her head. "Thanks."

"Nice to meet you, Peyton," Brooke says.

"You too," Peyton replies with a smile.

"Seeya!" Brooke chirps as she bounds off down the beach. "Call me sometime or I'll drive out to that snooty school and kick your ass!"

He laughs and nods his head, then Nathan looks back to Peyton. For some reason, feels the need to reach out an run his hand down her upper arm before they take their place laying down again. Not many people can be that comfortable in the all-too-energetic presence of one Brooke Davis.

And he knows the questions are coming. He knows she's going to ask, and that in her head, she's trying to connect all the dots.

"Haley's my ex," he says out of nowhere after a few minutes.

She lets out a quiet sigh, because she's really thankful that wasn't the one to have to bring it up.

"I figured," she says softly, turning her head to look at him.

"Well...yeah," he mutters. "We were kind of...we were married."

And then the world stops.

They're not even 18 years old yet. How in the world has he been married already?

"It was crazy and impulsive, and in hindsight, it was just the stupidest thing I've ever done," he explains, finally looking over to see the blank expression on Peyton's face. "And that's coming from a guy who drove a car into a cement wall at 200 mils per hour."

His attempt at humour doesn't have the desired affect. She's speechless, and he doesn't know what to say either.

"We...she left to tour with...it doesn't matter. The point is, she left," he says. "The marriage was annulled, and...it's over."

Peyton stands up and bends down to pick up the towel she was laying on, and she's avoiding eye contact.

She really doesn't want this revelation to change anything. They aren't even dating. They aren't anything at all, really. But things just changed in a big, big way. Haley's not just another ex, she was someone he - at some point, no matter what the end result was - thought he'd spend his entire life with.

"We should go," she says, faking a smile and pretending she doesn't see the dejected expression on his face.

"Peyton, come on," he please, standing up and planting his feet in front of her.

"Nathan, this is kind of a lot to deal with," she says, shaking her head. "I mean, not that any of your business is mine to deal with. Just...you and I have this...whatever...and now I find out that you have a wife."

"_Had_," he corrects firmly. "And...look, how long was your longest relationship?"

"Nine months last year," she says crossing her arms.

"Well, Haley and I weren't even together for nine months," he explains. "It's really...it's not like it was an epic romance. We were two stupid kids, and I was challenging authority, and...Haley was looking for excitement she'd never had before."

"So you were her excitement?" Peyton asks flatly.

"Until the chance to tour came along," he says. There's no anger in his voice, and she almost believes that he's over it. "It all just put things into perspective. She had the tour and I had High Flyers, and then Oak Lake came along, and...we just both realized that we weren't it for each other."

"Are you...I mean, did you fall out of love with her?" Peyton asks, looking to the ground and not to him.

"I fell out of love with her the minute I found her in bed with someone else."


	4. Chapter 4

Peyton doesn't know what to say. She'd judged him and been a total bitch when he'd been honest with her about his past, and she should have been sympathetic instead.

And she really wonders what kind of woman would cheat on this perfect specimen before her. He's all chest and abs as he stands there in the late day sun, and she suddenly feels the urge to press herself against him and hug him and apologize.

So she does.

Well, she apologizes, anyway.

"Nathan, I'm...I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that," she says, shaking her head.

"It's kind of the reaction I'm used to," he says. He shrugs his shoulder and smirks at her, and she hates herself a little more. She doesn't want to be like everyone else. She wants to understand him a little better and treat him a little nicer.

"I'm still sorry," she insists, and he just lets out a laugh.

"I should have told you before, but..."

"No. You didn't have to. God, you didn't even have to tell me now," she says, letting herself smile at him. "She...she cheated on you?"

"Yeah," he says softly. "With this...well, it's a long story. I'll tell you someday."

"OK," she laughs. "Let's put the drama on the back burner for the rest of the day."

"Sounds like a plan," he says, grinning at her. "So...you and me. You think we have something, huh?"

"Shut up, OK?" she requests, swatting his arm. "You know we have...whatever."

"Whatever? Sawyer, I think you're the sexiest girl ever, and you think I'm the new guy you want to sleep with," he says, watching as her jaw drops. "It's natural."

"OK, you are such a jackass!" she cries. "I do _not_ want to sleep with you."

It's a lie, and she lays down again in the hopes that the movement will distract him from realizing it.

"Oh, yes you do," he says, sure of himself as he nods his head and smiles.

"Alright, Casanova, take it down a notch," she says, closing her eyes.

She doesn't see him kneel down to take her in his arms, and when he stands up and throws her over his shoulder, she's still squealing.

"Nathan! Put me down!"

"Nope."

"Nathan Scott!" she shouts.

"Not till you admit it."

"I'm not admitting anything!" she cries out as he steps into the surf.

The water is up to his waist when he finally sets her down, and he grabs her wrist when she tries to hit him. He wraps his arms around her as they stand there in the Atlantic, and she looks up at him. There's a little fury in her eyes, but he thinks he sees a little lust there, too.

"You're a jerk."

"You sure you want to say things like that?" he asks with a raised eyebrow. "I could pick you up again right now and toss you into the ocean like a free throw."

"And I'd never talk to you again," she says seriously. She finds herself toying with the drawstring at the front of his board shorts as they stand there together, and she realizes - as maybe he does, too - that simple action confirms the very thing they were just disagreeing about.

"You just abuse me anyway, so I don't really know what I'd miss out on," he points out and they both laugh.

"Well...if I don't talk to you, how are you supposed to know when I finally give in and agree to sleep with you?" she asks seductively.

She pulls herself out of his arms and starts back towards the sand as he stands there, trying to steady his breathing and keep himself from running after her and taking her straight into his beach house.

She's laying down and letting the sun dry her off by the time he walks back to her, and he lays down on his towel next to her without a word. They sit like that for a while until he can't take it anymore.

"You realize you just admitted it," he insists.

And she can _hear_ that fucking smirk.

"No," she says, opening her eyes just in time to turn and see him looking at her. "I admitted that I might someday."

"OK, sweetheart, in my world, a no is a no, and pretty much everything else is a yes."

"Pretty cocky, aren't you?"

"You'll find out soon enough," he says, closing his eyes again and turning his head away from her.

"You're disgusting," she mutters.

But she's pretty sure he's right.

----

She begged him to take her on a driven tour of his town. She insisted that they didn't have to get out of the car. So here they are, driving through the town he doesn't really miss, with her pointing out cool buildings he's known forever, and him pointing out the places that used to mean something to him.

He smiles when he sees that blue boulder in front of the school with his jersey number still painted on it.

He notices she's smiling, too.

They drive past the River Court, but only because he can see from a distance that there's no one there.

"Oak Lake kicks this place's ass," she says seriously, making him laugh.

"Especially now that I'm there," he adds, and she rolls her eyes in that way he loves.

"Can I be honest?" she asks, and he nods his head. "I was totally worried senior year was going to suck. And then you came along, and...You actually have kind of made it better."

"Why did you think it was going to suck?" he asks. She's a little surprised that he isn't saying something sarcastic or suggestive, but she kind of likes that he knows when to be serious.

"Just...my ex and I broke up right before the summer, and a bunch of my friends left," she says, shrugging her shoulder.

"Tell me about him," Nathan says. She looks at him like he's crazy, but he just smiles. "You heard all about my dysfunctional past relationship."

"He and I weren't dysfunctional," she says after a moment. "We were just...not right for each other."

"How come?"

"He was...brilliant and clever and...really charming," she says.

"Sounds familiar," he mutters, and she shoves him playfully.

"We were good together, you know? For a while," she says. "But he was graduating, and then moving to L.A. to live and work with his dad, and we just decided to end it."

"That's tough," Nathan says sincerely.

"Not really," she says, shaking her head. "It really didn't break my heart like I thought it would. So...I realized he just wasn't the one for me, you know?"

"I do know." He glances over at her and nods gently, and she smiles back at him.

"Ugh!" she groans. "We need to stop talking about our shitty love lives!"

He just looks over at her and they both start to laugh. This day was supposed to be an escape, and it's ended up being brought down by the past, and he wants to put a stop to that. As much as he likes that they've gotten it all out of the way, he really wants to move past it.

"You hungry?" he asks and she looks at him with a bright smile.

"Starving!"

"There's a diner just outside of town," he says as they drive past the 'Now Leaving Tree Hill' sign.

"Any good?"

"You think I'd take you someplace that wasn't any good?" he asks incredulously.

"I dunno," she says, rolling her eyes dramatically. "You did take me to that little shack at the beach."

"Yeah. Those five bedrooms are pretty rustic," he says with a chuckle.

"Well, I wouldn't know. You didn't show me any of them," she says, glancing over at him just in time to see him raise an eyebrow and smirk at her.

"You're going to get yourself into some trouble, talking like that," he insists.

She shrugs one shoulder and looks back to the road, and he's pretty sure that's a green light if he's ever seen one.

They get to the diner and Nathan promptly makes fun of Peyton's order of a bacon cheeseburger, french fries, and chocolate milkshake, though they both know he's actually impressed. He didn't take her for the salad and water type of girl, but she's so damn thin that it's actually funny to see her plow through an entire meal. When she asks how he feels about dessert, he just smirks and shakes his head, and tells her to order whatever she wants.

When they get back on the road, it's far cooler than the rest of the day, but Peyton insists they leave the top down. He pulls over after a few miles and grabs a sweater from the trunk, and once she's got the fabric over her head, she weaves her fingers through his atop the gearshift.

She really doesn't know what any of this means. He hasn't made a move to kiss her, but they've been flirting like crazy and holding hands all day. She really can't believe she's only known him a little over a week.

And why the hell _hasn't_ he tried to kiss her?

Sure, he said he doesn't love this Haley person anymore, but she wonders if maybe he's not as over it as he says he is. She really hopes he is. She really does.

He pulls up to the parking lot at the school next to a care he immediately loves. It's a black Audi S4, and she explains it was a gift from her dad, but it was her choice. Nathan's impressed. The girl seems to know her cars.

"I had fun today, Peyton," he says sincerely.

"Yeah, me too," she says with a smile. "I mean, except the part where you attacked me, threatened to throw me into the ocean, and I bitched about my ex-boyfriend."

"Right," he laughed. "Other than that..."

"Other than that, it was...You're a fun guy," she says. "But my dad's gonna kill me if I don't get home soon."

"Right," he says, checking the time once more.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow? Game day, right?" she asks.

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow morning," he says.

She steps out of the car and unlocks her own, and he finds himself wondering why he hasn't made a move. Maybe he should have. They had this fun, sort of intense, day together, and he didn't kiss her. The thing is, he knows he will. He somehow just knows it'll happen. He thinks that just maybe building the friendship was a good idea, and that maybe leaving her wanting more was an even better idea.

And he notices that she's still wearing his sweater. He kind of likes how she looks in his clothes.

----

She doesn't see him the next morning. Well, she avoids him the next morning. On Claire's advice, she decided to give him a little time to miss her. The girls had talked the night before about the day Nathan and Peyton had in Tree Hill - though Peyton left out a few of the more personal details she'd learned about his past - and Claire had insisted vehemently that Nathan was into Peyton. The blonde had to agree, she just didn't know how to deal with that.

And by noon, she was sick of letting him miss her.

_She_ missed _him_.

He was walking down the hall towards her, and she told him to meet her in the back corner of the library in ten minutes.

And he definitely liked the way that sounded.

She's sitting atop the round table in the back of the room with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. She's got a green ribbon holding her hair in a loose ponytail, and he's distracted by the knowledge that in only a few short hours, she'll don that cheerleading uniform again and smile every time he makes a basket.

"I thought you were avoiding me," he states, standing right in front of her with his arms folded over his chest.

"What if I was?"

"Then you were doing a good job," he says with a smirk. "What's going on?"

"Just a busy morning," she insists, shrugging her shoulder. "I..."

"What?" he asks when she doesn't finish.

"I kind of missed you," she admits before she can stop herself.

She really wishes she'd stopped herself.

"Not sick of me after yesterday?" he asks gently, his grin still in place.

"Surprisingly, no," she says, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

God, she's sexy.

He takes a step closer to her, and she grabs his tie and plays with the fabric as he leans down, placing his hands on either side of her on the table.

"So why'd you pull me in here?" he asks, locking eyes with her now that their faces meet.

"Just wanted to wish you good luck tonight," she says, shrugging a shoulder as she straightens the knot of his tie, then runs her hands over his shoulders.

He has no idea what she's trying to do to him, but he's pretty sure she's accomplishing it, whatever it is.

"Thanks."

"No problem," she says coyly.

He needs to get control of this situation. She's got him in the palm of her hand, and while he can't say he hates it, he can't let that happen right now. If she's got him in the palm of her hand, that means he'll be thinking of her all evening. He won't be able to focus on his game - well, basketball - and he needs to. If he's in control, if he pulls the strings, then he can focus, knowing he's still got the upper hand.

"I know you want me, but I have a rule. No sex on gameday. Sorry, babe," he says, and she drops her jaw, but she's still somehow smiling.

She grabs his tie and pulls him closer to her, and she leans forward to speak into his ear.

"Too bad for you, then."

He has to clench his jaw and force his hands to stay where they are so he doesn't just grab her and kiss her.

"So not fair," he mutters.

"Oh, I think it's plenty fair, Superstar," she teases, patting him on the chest before pushing him away a bit.

"Stop," he demands. That name is going to kill him.

"If that's what you really want," she says with a smile.

"Not at all, but I really do have a no sex on gameday rule," he tells her, and her eyes shine when she laughs.

"And you _still_ just assume that I'd be willing?" she asks with a raised brow.

He rests his hands on her hips, and then it's his turn to speak into her ear. If she's going to play with him, he's sure as hell going to play with her.

"You already are."

He walks away before she finds the words to say.

----

Their game that night doesn't go as well as the first, and when he's cutting through the gym on his way to the parking lot, he sees her sitting on the bleachers with her legs crossed and her head down. He knows right away that she's sketching something, and he'd really like to ignore her. But he can't. Maybe it's because he knows she's going to see him.

Maybe it's because he just _can't_ ignore her.

He picks up a ball off the rack and hits a shot from the three point line, and she looks up just in time to see it drop through the net.

"Sure. Make that shot _now_," she says teasingly. He walks towards her with his hand clutching his gym bag so tight that his knuckles are white. She can tell right away that he's in a horrible mood.

"Very funny," he grumbles. He sits down next to her and rests his elbows on his knees, dropping his head.

"Nathan, you were awesome," she assures him gently.

She resists, somehow, the urge to touch him. She kind of wants to rub his back, or put her hand on his forearm to comfort him. She's kind of wanted to touch him since he so swiftly put her in her place earlier in the library. She hadn't stopped thinking about him all day, and the way his hands felt on her hips, and the words he said.

And maybe how he smelled and how nice it felt to have his lips that close to hers and his voice saying suggestive things into her ear.

"Whatever," he scoffs. "I fucking hate losing."

"Good."

"Good?" he asks, turning his head to look at her.

"What kind of ball player would you be if you were OK with losing?" she inquires with a raised brow. "You can't win every game, Nate."

She's never called him that before, and he doesn't know why she just did, but he kind of likes it.

"I should be able to," he points out.

"You had 23 points!" she says with a smile, shoving his arm playfully.

"You can turn off the cheerleader stuff now," he says, smirking at her. He kind of likes that she's making an effort to cheer him up, though. It kind of worked.

"Come on," she says, getting up from her spot.

"Where are you taking me now?" he asks skeptically. She's always doing that - telling him to just go with her. He can't say he hates it.

She bends down and places her hands on his knees so she's eye level with him, and there's a moment where she wants to just kiss him, but she doesn't.

"Just follow me."

He can't really argue with that.

He follows her out of the gym and across the mostly dark campus, but they don't leave the grounds. They come to a small, old brick building that he's never noticed before, and she walks around to the back of the structure, where there's a ladder propped up against the wall.

"Go," she tells him, gesturing to the ladder.

"What?"

"Do it!" she cries.

"Why do I have to go first?" he asks, almost pouting, she notices. That's kind of adorable.

"Because if I go first, you'll look up my skirt," she says, placing a hand on her hip. The smirk he gives her lets him know that she's totally onto him, and he drops his bag and puts his foot on the first rung.

"Stop staring at my ass, Sawyer," he teases. It's a total joke, but she actually was checking him out. Who could blame her?

The boy is gorgeous, there's no doubt, and she kind of likes that he's a total mystery to most. He's kind of still a mystery to her, too. She hasn't really figured him out yet, but she's really enjoying trying.

He knows, when she doesn't say anything in response, that she was looking at him, but he won't point it out again. He's seen her angry, and he doesn't want that anger to ever be directed at him, though he suspects it's only a matter of time before he does something to piss her off.

He's standing on the roof when she comes to stand next to him, and he looks at her like he's surprised that she'd bring him there.

"What is this?" he asks.

"Gardening shed," she explains. "I found it freshman year. Best view ever."

"It's awesome," he says softly.

He can see the entire campus from atop that little building, and then turning around, he sees out over the river that flows through and divides the little town, all the way out to Oak Lake itself. There in the dark, with the lights casting golden shadows on the brick buildings of the school that he now calls his, he thinks that just maybe he loves it here. Long-forgotten is the game he lost and the emotions that usually sit with him until he gets back on the court again.

"Look up," she says, tilting her head back.

Stars. All sorts of them. He's not sure he's ever seen a sky so full of stars. But he looks only for a moment, then he's looking back at her again.

"This is my favourite place in the world," she says quietly, unaware that he's gazing at her.

"It might be mine, too," he admits. He knows that has everything to do with the girl, and little to do with everything else.

He turns and steps in front of her, and she knows what he's going to do, and she bites her bottom lip in anticipation when he moves closer to her. His hands rest on her hips, and she can see him smirk just before he presses his lips to hers.

She's kind of surprised it's taken him this long to kiss her.

Then, when his tongue skims over the seam of her lips, she stops thinking about anything at all, and she just lets herself kiss him back. Her arms wrap around his neck, and he pulls her closer to him, and all too soon, he's pulling away and resting his forehead against hers.

She looks into his eyes - somehow still blue, even in the darkness - and he closes them to press his lips to hers once more, gently.

"You bring all the boys up here to make out, don't you?" he asks teasingly.

"You're the first," she says softly, pulling away from him a bit. She hears her phone ring, and she tenses immediately. "Shit."

"What?" he asks in confusion. It's not that late, and he doesn't know what she's so worried about.

"I...have this thing I'm supposed to be at," she says vaguely.

She moves towards the ladder and starts down, and he glances around at the view one last time before following her.

"Hey dad...Yeah. I just got held up. I'm on my way...Yes, the black one...OK. I'll see you soon," she says before closing her phone and letting out a sigh.

"What's going on?" he asks.

"I have to go. I can't...my dad has this party thing, and I'm really late, and I have to go," she says quickly, slinging her bag over her shoulder and starting towards the parking lot.

"What kind of party?" he asks after catching up with her.

"My dad...he's kind of the...congressman," she explains quietly.

He didn't expect that.

"Your dad is the congressman," he states needlessly. He just kissed the congressman's daughter.

"Yeah," she says as they step onto the parking lot. "It's no big deal. I just have to put on a pretty dress and act like a perfect little lady. And I'm not supposed to be late."

"I'm guessing you're not supposed to be slumming it with basketball playing boys and making out on gardening sheds, either," he says.

He's not really joking, and he knows she'll know that. He knows what it's like to have expectations put on you, and while he was royalty in his little town, he's pretty much a nobody here. He had liked that until this moment.

She stops in her tracks and turns to him, and he's almost scared at the look on her face.

"Do I look like the girl who follows the rules?" she asks seriously. "I don't tell people about my dad because it makes them treat me differently. You're the first guy who has ever looked at me and talked to me like you do."

"So you like me just because I'm the _only_ one here who's not a total blue-blood? Thanks," he says, trying not to grow angry with her. "Guess you really do like slumming."

"That's not what I said!"

"You might as well have," he says bitterly.

"Nathan, this is stupid, OK? We're getting somewhere here, and..."

"And now I find out that you're just rebelling against daddy," he says, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"That's not what I'm doing," she sighs out, exhausted from trying to explain herself.

"Whatever. You know what? Go to your little party and do your thing, Peyton," he says, turning to walk to his car.

"Nathan!" she calls after him. She checks the time on her phone, and she's really late, and her dad will never let her live it down if she's not home and changed in 20 minutes.

So she lets him walk away, and she gets into her own car.

As soon as she turns the key, she realizes that she's just messed everything up in a really big way.


	5. Chapter 5

Peyton spends all weekend thinking about him and wondering if she should just call him.

She wants to explain herself, though she really doesn't feel like she should. He was only hearing what he'd wanted to hear, and she feels like he didn't even try to understand.

She's laying on her bed and listening to a little Damien Rice. It's the music she always listens to when she's depressed, and she hates that she can be depressed over a guy after knowing him just two weeks. It's crazy, she thinks. He shouldn't have such an effect on her. She should be stronger than this.

But Nathan Scott isn't just another boy. He's arrogant and impossible, and he drives her insane half the time. But he's also sweet and nice and he kind of takes care of her. It's that juxtaposition - how he's two polar opposites in one really beautiful package - that has her so drawn to him.

That, and the fact that she gets butterflies in her stomach every time she thinks about that kiss.

"Stop moping," Claire says, appearing in the doorway. "So you turned a boy away. It's no big deal. He can't handle you being Daddy Sawyer's little girl. He's not the first."

"Thank you," Peyton says dryly. "You're really making me feel incredible."

"OK, well listening to this gloomy music isn't going to help you, darlin'," Claire points out, turning off the stereo. "Would you just call him? It's been two days and you're miserable."

"It's not that easy," Peyton insists, flopping back on her pillow as Claire sat on the edge of the bed.

"What's difficult? You implied that you just want him because he's different, and..."

"I meant it in a _good_ way!" Peyton cries, throwing her hands up in frustration.

"Well...either tell him that, or forget about him. If he freaks out that easily, then maybe...I dunno. Maybe he's not as different as you think," Claire says objectively.

"He is," Peyton insists softly.

"So _talk_ to him," Claire says pleadingly. "Peyton, just admit that you want him."

"I did! And then he ran away so fast that..."

"He thought you were _pushing_ him," Claire explains seriously, raising her eyebrow. They both know she's right. "And I know you don't just go around kissing guys that you aren't seriously interested in. So please, _please_ try to make it right with him."

Peyton lets out a sigh and closed her eyes. Claire is absolutely right, and she has to figure out how to talk to Nathan. She'll wait until the next day at school. She hopes he'll be calm enough to talk.

She hopes he'll want to hear what she has to say.

----

Nathan spends all weekend thinking about her and wondering if he should just call her.

And then he remembers the things she said, and he's not so quick to reach for the phone. He'd thought they were really getting somewhere - that maybe they could start to be something.

And that kiss...

He hadn't stopped thinking about that kiss and how her body felt against his. He should have known that such a hot girl would only mean trouble.

So he does homework and plays a little ball with a couple guys on the team, and the entire time, he's hoping she'll just call. He's still not surprised when his phone doesn't ring, other than when his mom calls.

He thinks of skipping his daily Starbucks, but he won't change his routine for a girl. He won't change it for her. He's not sure if he's thrilled or disappointed that she's not there when he shows up.

He'll just go about the rest of his day, but he'll make a few modifications. He'll try not to bump into her. He'll carry his books for two classes instead of only one, and he'll just...avoid her.

How hard can it be?

She sees him at their lockers in the morning, and he's juggling a coffee while he tries to gather the books he needs. She usually holds his cup for him while he gets his things, and he'll hold her cup while she gets hers. Watching him struggle to keep from spilling his drink hits her harder than it should. She wants to help him, but she knows that if she tries, he'll make comments about what happened between them on Friday, and the middle of the hallway isn't the place for that conversation.

He sees her standing with her three girlfriends at the other end of the hall, but when he looks over at her, she looks away, and he's not sure why that bothers him so much. He's avoiding her, too. But he knows she's going to ignore him, and he doesn't know if it's because of her, or because of him. He said some harsh things that Friday night, but he still feels like he was right. She kept something huge from him, and he feels like she thinks of him as some outsider who's got no manners.

But does she really think that?

He knows he's more...aggressive...than the other guys at this school. He knows he says different words and walks differently and drives a different kind of car and wears different clothes when he's not in his uniform or basketball jersey. He knows he doesn't necessarily fit into this town, but she, until that Friday night, made him feel like he might fit in with her.

He sits in the front of their English class, not in the back with her, and she stares at the back of his head instead of listening to the lesson on the underlying themes of _Gulliver's Travels_. She wants him to just talk to her, but she knows - just _knows_ - that he'll avoid her until she corners him. She's supposed to be stronger than this. She's the girl who doesn't need a guy's attention.

She just really _wants_ Nathan's.

All this goes on for three days. Three days of ignoring each other, but not really ignoring each other. It's almost as though they've scheduled their locker visits around each other, and simply stopped talking all together.

And they both hate it, but they're both too stubborn to admit it.

He's in the boy's locker room - well, the weight room within the boy's locker room - when she finally catches up to him.

She storms in, all curly hair and anger, and the other guys in there look at her like she's crazy. Nathan just looks at her like she's the girl he wants. He hates himself for that.

It's lunch time, and she should be in the library across campus doing research for a particularly tough project, but she needs to talk to Nathan far more than she needs another good grade.

"We are talking. Right now," she says sternly. It's really, really hard to be stern when he's not wearing a shirt and his body is glistening with sweat. She really should have re-thought the timing.

"You can't be in here," he says, grabbing a towel as he stands from his place.

"Well, I am," she states needlessly. "Come on. Will you please just...hear me out?"

"It's not a good time." He turns his back to her, and he knows he's just pissing her off, but he doesn't really care.

"Fine," she bites out. He turns to look at her, not expecting her to have given in so easily, and she shrugs her shoulders in defeat. "Whatever."

"Whatever?" he asks.

She sighs bitterly and glares at him before pushing the metal door as hard as she can and letting it slam closed behind her.

A few of the guys on the team shake their heads at him, knowing that Peyton Sawyer is _not_ a girl that you want to piss off.

The truth is, he _wants_ to talk to her. He wants to hear her explain herself. He wants her to tell him that she doesn't think of him as some outsider or invalid.

But he's too proud to give in, and so is she, and he's not sure how long they'll do this dance, but he's sure that whoever gives in first won't feel great doing it.

----

"So what'd you do to piss off Princess Sawyer?" Matt, one of Nathan's teammates asks after practice that Wednesday afternoon.

"Nothing," Nathan insists with a shrug. "She pissed me off."

"Didn't look that way to me," Matt points out. "What happened?"

"She just failed to tell me about her dad," Nathan says, tugging on his tee shirt and reaching for his bag.

"How did you not know?" Matt asks with a laugh, earning himself a glare from Nathan. "It's not like it's a secret."

"I'm not really up on my politics," Nathan says as they start out of the locker room. "I figured her dad was well off, but...It was just kind of a shock."

"So that's it?" Matt asks skeptically. "There's no way you two are so at odds because of that."

"It's...It's all complicated," Nathan says, shaking his head as they walk through the gym and towards the parking lot. "Is she really a princess?"

That word has been ringing in Nathan's ear since Matt said it. Of course, he knows she's not actually royalty, but he's curious about the attitude. He's never been to her house - she hasn't told him where she lives - so all he can picture is her in a huge bedroom with white and gold trim and a huge canopy bed.

It's possible that he's over-thinking things.

"No," Matt laughs. "But she hates it when I call her that, so I do it as much as possible."

"And _I'm_ the one she's pissed at," Nathan says, shaking his head.

"I thought you said she _wasn't_ pissed at you," Matt says, raising his eyebrow as he smirks.

It's pouring rain when they step outside, and Nathan bitterly thinks that's just the perfect way to end his day. He'll be soaked by the time he gets to his car, and he's not exactly thrilled about it.

"She wasn't," he insists, though he's certain it's a lie. "Then I blew her off today. I'm sure she's pissed now."

"Definitely is," Matt laughs. "Alright, man. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya, man," Nathan says, bumping fists with his with his friend before Matt runs off to his Mercedes and Nathan runs towards his Mustang.

All he can think is that he wants to talk to her. He really wants to. But he's still mad, and he's a little bothered that she didn't make a little more effort that day to talk to him. She'd had the opportunity. They'd passed each other in the hall a couple times that morning, and sure, she'd burst into the weight room, but that was neither the time nor the place for the conversation they needed to have.

So he's going to go home, have a bite to eat, do his homework, and go to bed. Hopefully all without thinking about Peyton.

He knows that last one will probably be impossible.

----

He's laying on his sofa, trying to wrap his head around the stupid book they just started reading in English glass, and attempting to remember how the Lilliputians relate to European government...or something like that...and there's a knock at the door.

He has no idea who'd be visiting him at 9:00 on a Wednesday night, and he doesn't care that he's only wearing loose grey sweatpants and isn't wearing a shirt. He'd cranked the heat in his apartment after coming home in wet clothes, and and he really kind of likes just not having to wear a shirt.

He doesn't expect Peyton to be standing there in the rain, her oversized black sweater clinging to her and her curls matted. He wishes he was enough of a jerk to just close the door on her, but she's shivering and she actually looks kind of hot, standing there like that.

He swings the door open further and steps aside to let her in. She shivers violently and peels off her wet sweater, tossing it at him for no reason other than she wants to.

"Thanks," he almost laughs. Almost.

He drapes the wet garment over the back of a chair, but he can't take his eyes off her. She's moving around his apartment, looking at all his things, wearing just jeans and a tank top with her hair dripping onto her shoulders. It'd be a lot easier to be mad at her if he wasn't crazy about her.

"How'd you find out where I live?" he asks, putting his hands on his hips. "Let me guess. Daddy put a call into the FBI or something?"

"CIA," she mutters as she glares at him. "I actually just asked Robbie, and he told me."

"Traitor," he mumbles, thinking he'll have to talk to his teammate about that at school the next day.

"He and I grew up together," she explains. "And I threatened him with bodily harm."

"I'm sure you did," he says, tossing her a bottle of water from the fridge. He's a little impressed when she catches it effortlessly with one hand, but he's still trying to be mad, so he doesn't comment.

"So are you done ignoring me yet?" she asks, putting a hand on her hip.

"I wasn't..."

"Don't give me that!" she says indignantly. "I've hardly seen you since Friday, Nathan."

"Guess you'll have to find another guy to...what was it?...Look at you differently?" he says before taking a sip of water.

"OK, you don't get it," she says, shaking her head.

"Well, did you come here to explain? Or to stand in my living room looking fucking sexy as hell and be mad at me?" he asks, his trademark smirk creeping to his lips.

"That, _right there_," she says, moving across the room to stand across the counter from him. "_That_ is what I'm talking about. Nathan, you don't talk to me like these snobby guys. You're...real."

"Real," he states disbelievingly.

"Yes! You get mad, and you throw books into your locker. You swear and you tell me when I'm being a bitch!"

"Someone has to!"

"And you're so...stubborn! You're impossible. God, I've known you like, a few weeks and I've been close to strangling you most of that time!"

"Most of the time?" he asks, placing his hands on the counter in front of him. He's not exactly hating her standing there and telling him all the reasons she likes him.

"Yeah. And the rest of the time, I'm thinking about kissing you, and I don't know which of those things is worse," she finishes.

"Was kissing me that bad?" he asks with a smile. He knows that's not what she meant. He knows he's a damn good kisser.

"_That's_ what you're questioning? Out of _all_ that I just said?" she asks incredulously.

"I'm a guy," he says with a shrug of his shoulders. "And seriously, you look..." He paused to look her up and down again. "You look amazing right now, and all I want to do is have you tell me that you aren't just into me because it'll piss off your dad."

"OK, you obviously haven't met my dad," she mutters. "He's like, the most laid back politician ever."

"Whatever," he scoffs. "I don't know what you want from me. And honestly? I don't know what I can give you, either."

"Well...then..."

"What are we doing even talking to each other?" he finishes for her.

She looks at him, and they're both thinking the same thing. There's a chemistry between them that neither can deny. They're friends, and they joke, and yes, they drive each other crazy most of the time, but they _like_ each other. Probably more than they should, given that he infuriates her, and she annoys him. But they each find those things endearing, despite everything else they feel.

"What do you want me to say?" he asks, shrugging almost hopelessly.

"Just...tell me what you can give me," she says softly.

He's not sure if that's an innuendo, but he certainly hears it that way, at least a little bit. He knows that's not really what she's asking, but then she looks at him through her eyelashes. She's flirting, even if she doesn't know she is. _He_ knows it. He's sure she can't spend the night, but he really wishes she could.

"Perv," she mutters, smiling ever-so-slightly when she sees the look on his face following her prior statement.

"Sorry, but...you can't say that and...You just can't."

"You know what I meant," she says in frustration, running her hands through her wet hair.

That action, he's sure she knows, isn't helping the situation.

"I'm...not really a good boyfriend. And I kind of have a lot of stuff I'm dealing with, and my parents are like, the worst example ever," he explains. Even as he's speaking, he wonders if those things are all just excuses.

Maybe he's just scared.

"I didn't ask you to be my boyfriend," she points out. "And the fact that you're worried about what kind of boyfriend you are makes you a better boyfriend than you think."

"OK...?"

"And we all have stuff we're going through." She takes a step closer to him, and all she wants is to wrap her arms around his bare torso and rest her head against his chest.

"So...what do you want?" he asks. Part of him is really hoping that she'll say she just wants _him_.

He doesn't do this. He doesn't have girls at his place to _talk_. He certainly doesn't talk about his feelings so openly, and he doesn't usually care what anyone thinks of him.

But all he's thought about since he met her, is her. The way she smiles at him when she's cheering for him in the gym of their school, and the completely different smile she has when they're talking one-on-one. Her slender fingers leaving harsh red marks on his bicep when she hits him for making an inappropriate comment. The way her green eyes sparkle a little bit when she's talking about art or music.

He doesn't do this.

He figures, though, that it might just be time to start.

This is different from Haley. He's not trying to change, and Peyton isn't asking him to. He gets the feeling that she's just fine with him the way he is. But that only makes him want her more.

"I want you to stop acting like you're not good enough," she says seriously. "For Oak Lake _or_ for me."

"I never said..."

"It was implied. And it's crap," she says sternly, putting her hand on her hip again. He knows that when she does that, she means business.

"I was kind of hoping you'd say you want me to pull those wet clothes off you," he says in a low voice, smirking when she tilts her head and blinks slowly.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," she mutters with her eyebrow raised. "But you could kiss me right now."

He doesn't say anything in response, he just puts his hand on her hip and pulls her closer to him, pressing his lips to hers almost before she even knows what's happening. Her right hand rests naturally on his bare chest, and she wonders how he can kiss so lazily, with only one hand touching her. It's all part of that confidence he has about him that makes him so irresistible to her. He either knows he doesn't _need_ to touch her more, or that she really _wants_ him to. Either way, he doesn't do it until she pushes herself flush against him and wraps her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss.

He pulls away for a moment to make what she knows will be a roguish comment on how he makes her act - she doesn't usually show up at boys' houses soaking wet and tell them to kiss her - but she kisses him again before he gets the chance.

Before long, they're laying on the couch. She's on top of him, and he's not complaining about this side of her. Not one bit.

"I have to go," she says as he kisses her neck and buries his hands in her mostly-wet hair again.

"No."

"Yes," she says, chuckling softly.

"No." He kisses along her collar bone as he pushes her tank top up at the back, and she feels him smile against her skin when she lets out a moan.

"Yes."

"Yes you have to go? Or yes, Nathan, take my shirt off?" he asks, pulling away to look at her with that smirk she's pretty sure should be outlawed.

"I have to go," she states. Her hands are running up and down his chest and stomach, and she doesn't move off him.

"So go," he challenges, resting his hands on her hips.

"I don't want to," she admits quietly, making him laugh.

"If you stay..."

"What?" she asks when he doesn't finish.

"If you stay, there's no way in hell your clothes are staying on," he tells her seriously. She knows he's not joking, and she knows he's right, and one more look at the clock, and she, regrettably, really does have to go.

She leans down to press one last lingering kiss to his lips, then needlessly murmurs that she has to go, and climbs off him, reaching for her sweater.

He doesn't get up to see her out, and she doesn't really expect him to. He's laying on the sofa with a smug look on his face, and she tells him she'll see him at school. She slips outside, and by the time she gets to her car, she's soaking wet again, but the smile still hasn't left her face.

There's something about Nathan Scott. She has no idea what it is, but she knows that she wants more of it.


	6. Chapter 6

"Morning," she says sweetly, walking up to where he's standing at their lockers.

"Hey," he greets. He takes her coffee from her hand so she can gather her books for class.

"How are you?"

"Good," he says. "Except I might actually be _behind_ in English now, since this hot girl came over and seduced me last night."

"That right?" she asks, glowering at him. "You know, I'm sure you could have sent her away."

"No chance," he says, smirking at her as they begin walking towards their class.

"And who knows? Maybe she doesn't even really _want_ to kiss you," she tells him.

"You think?" he asks, smiling down at her.

"I dunno. Maybe she'll have to come over tonight," she says. "You know? Just to make sure it's worth it."

"Door's always open," he informs her, and she smiles at him before slipping into her seat.

"Really? How often do you have girls coming over to seduce you?" she asks with a raised brow.

"Not often enough," he mutters, and she throws her pen at him as he laughs.

She doesn't really know what they are. She doesn't exactly know what she wants them to be either. For now, she's just happy that they're kissing - _really_ happy, since he's amazing at it - and that they aren't still avoiding each other. She just assumes they'll figure the rest out later. They'll talk at some point and tell each other what they really want, and she'll make sure she's the only one he's kissing. As long as that's the case, she's kind of OK with things the way they are as they get to know each other better.

They part ways for their next class, and she glares at him playfully when he accidentally brushes against her at their lockers. A group of students are walking down the hall, so he turns his body so they could pass. He presses his chest against Peyton's back, momentarily letting his hand fall to her hip as he slips by her.

"Nathan," she whispers.

"Sorry!" he says with a smirk. "I couldn't help it."

"I have to go. Think you can control yourself?" she teases, raising an eyebrow at him.

"If you aren't around, I'll be fine," he says, and she rolls her eyes, but she can't hide her smile.

The truth is, he's finding it really difficult to be around her now. Well, more difficult. He just wants to touch her, and _really_ flirt with her, and kiss her. He's definitely liking kissing her.

He's in the middle of a lesson in his class when the assistant coach of the team comes in and hands a note to the teacher.

"Nathan, your student ambassador needs to see you," the teacher announces, and Nathan has to do his best to keep himself from smiling. "It won't be long, so leave your things and head to the gym, please."

"Sure," Nathan says, standing from his seat.

He steps into the empty hall and puts one hand in his pocket as he makes his way towards the gym. He must say, his student ambassador is quite sneaky. First, skipping class to go to the beach, and now, pulling him from class for...well, he doesn't know.

But he has his ideas of how he wants this to go.

He steps into the gym, and Peyton immediately grasps his tie and pulls him against her as she leans against the wall in the little alcove between the bleachers and the door.

"What the hell is this?" he asks, resting one hand above her shoulder, and the other on her hip. He's never been with a girl quite like this; forward and bold, but sweet and gentle, even when she's tugging on his tie.

"What? You've never skipped class to make out before?" she asks, and he laughs. "You can't brush up against me like you did earlier and..." She stops to take a deep breath when he presses his hips to hers a little bit. "Or do that...And expect me to just ignore you."

He smirks as he leans down to kiss her, and he loves the way she clutches the collar of his shirt when he deepens the kiss. His hands tangle in her hair, and she lets out a moan that echoes through the empty gym when he kisses her neck, gently sucking on her pulse point as her hands run through the hair at the back of his neck. He slips his hand beneath her shirt at the small of her back, and she shifts her hips against his, but this has already gone much further than it should have.

"Stop," she says breathlessly. "Stop, stop, stop."

But the way she says it, soft and urgent, somehow lets him know that she doesn't really want to stop. He kisses her once more, gently on the lips, then pulls away from her a bit.

"You're going to get me into trouble," she says, trying to steady her breathing.

"_You_ pulled _me_ out of class," he reminds her.

"Yeah, but...I didn't expect..."

"Yes, you did," he insists, smiling down at her. "You knew exactly what you were doing."

"I just...I forgot how good you are at this," she says, and he shakes his head.

He leans down, letting his lips graze the shell of her ear as he says, "baby, that's not all I'm good at."

"OK, go," she demands, pushing him away slightly. He chuckles as he takes a step back, but her hand is still on his tie and she pulls him in for one last kiss before he walks away.

"Later, Sawyer," he says as he makes his way to the door. When he turns back to take another look at her, she's still standing against the bleachers with her head tipped back.

He rubs the back of his neck with his hand while he's walking back to his class, and he can only smile. He didn't expect to meet a girl he actually liked. That may make him sound like a terrible guy, but after Haley, he just didn't think he'd want to get into another relationship. But he finds himself wanting to spend all his time with Peyton, and not just because she's a hell of a good kisser. He enjoys her company. He likes spending time with her, because she's funny, and she's the kind of girl he needs. She doesn't let him get away with anything, but she's obviously not a prude.

Maybe he does want to be her boyfriend.

----

They're sitting on his sofa together, with him moving his hands idly over her denim-clad legs as they're draped over his. She's got on one of his sweaters, though it's really not that cold, and they're watching a pre-season ball game together.

"Technical!" she calls out before the referee does. That may just be the sexiest thing he's ever seen her do. "What?"

"Nothing," he says, shaking his head as he smiles. "I don't think I've met a cheerleader who actually knew this much about the game."

"My dad's a big fan," she says with a shrug.

"Yeah? He play?"

"Not seriously. I mean, not well," she laughs. "He's got season Bobcats tickets, but he's away so much that he usually just gives them to friends." She sees his eyes light up at the mention of those tickets, and she smiles at him as she places her hand over his. "We should go sometime."

"Coolest girl ever," he states firmly, shaking his head.

He checks the clock quickly, and he sees that it's nearing 10:00. He's actually surprised she hasn't left yet, not that he's complaining. She arrived after dinner, and she told him she wasn't going to kiss him until he finished his homework. It was a cheap ploy, but it worked. He finished his work as fast as possible, then joined her on the sofa.

The thing about her is that as much as he loves kissing her, he kind of loves just sitting with her, too. She laughs at silly commercials, and she glares at him playfully when he flips quickly through the channels. She holds his hand or runs her fingers through his hair, and he gets the impression that she doesn't even know he's staring at her.

And she looks really hot in his sweater, too.

"Don't you have a curfew or something?" he asks.

"You kicking me out?" she inquires, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Oh, definitely not," he insists. "In fact, you're free to spend the night..."

She doesn't know what it is about Nathan, but part of her really wants to say yes.

"Like I said, my dad's away a lot," she says, shrugging her shoulder. "It's just me and the housekeeper, and she doesn't really worry about me. I mean, she does. But it's not like I have to really answer to her."

"So you can just do whatever you want?" he asks. That sounds a lot like how he grew up, too.

"Pretty much," she says. "And I kind of want to stay here with you a little while longer."

"OK," he says, pulling her hand so she sits up and curls herself into his side.

They watch a few more minutes of the game, then she looks up at him, her green eyes shining mischievously, and he looks at her questioningly. He's growing increasingly fond of that particular look.

"Wanna make out?" she asks.

He's got her on her back in one swift motion, and she giggles before he presses his lips to hers.

"Coolest girl ever," he repeats.

She's a lot more like him than he ever thought.

----

At school, it's business as usual. Neither of them want to deal with being the cheerleader and the jock who are dating, so they don't let anyone know. Peyton's girlfriends, and Robbie and Matt, two of Nathan's teammates, are the only ones who know that Nathan and Peyton even hang out outside of school. They've been 'together' a week and a half, and they both know it's all going to come out sooner or later.

They're OK with later.

"Cath told me she couldn't get ahold of you last night," Ginny says, bumping Peyton's hip with her own as she stands at her locker.

"Nathan and I went to a movie," Peyton says quietly.

"And by that, you mean you sat in the back of the theater and made out," Ginny says with a smirk, laughing when Peyton rolls her eyes and blushes. "Good call."

"Am I insane?" Peyton asks as they make their way to cheer practice. "I mean, at first it was kind of just this flirtation, then it was a couple kisses, and now..."

"You're crazy about him," Ginny fills in. "It's kind of obvious."

"God, it's like...I can't stop thinking about him. I totally thought senior year was going to be...I don't know. Like, work hard, cheer, get into a good school," Peyton explains. "I wasn't going to think about boys or have a repeat of last year with the whole intense relationship thing. And now..."

"What?" Ginny asks delicately.

"I'm like...I'm wondering where he's going to go to school, and if he thinks about me as much as I think about him," Peyton says worriedly. "I'm being such a girl."

"Well, judging by the look you're getting right now, I'd say he's pretty crazy about you, too," Ginny says, nodding towards the boy at the other end of the hall.

He's in his mesh workout jersey, his dark green shorts, and his matching shoes. He's got a layer of sweat on his skin and his hair is damp.

And he's staring at her.

Peyton's heart races.

"And PS?" Ginny says. "We're 17. We're _supposed_ to have boy drama."

"It's not drama! It's just...a boy," Peyton says.

"Sweetheart, that is _not_ just a boy," Ginny says, eyeing Nathan appreciatively. "Come on. We're going to be late and Claire will kill us."

Peyton smiles at Nathan before she steps into the girls' gym, and he feels his temperature spike a little before he winks at her and heads back to his practice.

"Dude," Robbie says, "quit staring and get your ass in gear. Coach won't appreciate you ogling cheerleaders instead of running drills."

"Just one cheerleader," Nathan corrects with a smirk. "And I swear she's trying to kill me in those pants."

"That's the thing about uniforms. All you see is one outfit all the time, then you see them in something else, and it's like, mind blowing," Matt says.

"I think that just comes with being a guy," Nathan laughs, stepping back into the gym. "And pretty much everything looks good on her."

"OK, you're being a total girl right now," Robbie says. "Seriously, could you be any more into her?"

"Whatever. Ball," Nathan demands, clapping his hands together. Matt passes to him and he dribbles a couple times.

"Let's see if he can make the shot when he's thinking of Peyton in those tight workout pants," Robbie says, and Nathan just shakes his head.

He's really glad when he shoots the three pointer and it goes in. He just needed to prove that point. She may be distracting him - pretty much constantly, actually - but he can still put his focus on the game when the time comes. If and when that changes, then he knows he has a problem.

----

They have an away game against the team's most hated rival - Huntsville - that Friday night, and Peyton sends him a text when she's literally standing just 20 feet across the parking lot. The cheerleaders carpool, and the players take the bus, and they haven't gotten a chance to talk to each other since earlier that day by their lockers.

He opens his phone and reads,_ "Good luck. See you later tonight?". _He knows he has to focus on the game, and he will, but he has a hard time ignoring those words and what they imply. It'll be late by the time they get back, and he knows her dad is away.

He knows he needs to send something back - it's sweet of her to send her luck along - but he doesn't know how to respond. And why the hell are his hands shaking? He keys in _"Thanks. I'll see you if you want to see me."_ He figures it's neutral enough, but it still lets her know that he's all for hooking up after the game.

And he smiles when he sees her laugh as she reads it. She looks over at him and nods, and then the coach bellows for them to get onto the bus.

The girls beat the team there - apparently Claire is a faster driver than the 60-year-old man behind the wheel of the bus - and they're waiting outside the gym for the bus to arrive so they can all enter the building together, like they always do.

Nathan brushes his hand along the small of Peyton's back as he slips through the crowd of people and past her, and she'd reprimand him if there weren't a ton of people around. Or if she didn't love it when he did that. It was somehow as sweet and chivalrous as it was just damn sexy. She knew he just did it now because of the reaction he'd gotten in the hallway that one day, but she was OK with that.

"Why are you blushing?" Catherine asked.

"I'm not!" Peyton insisted.

"OK, your relationship with him has even effected your lying ability," Catherine whispered as they took their places at the end of the court. "And that's something."

"Shut up!" Peyton squealed, swatting her friend's stomach with her pom pom.

Nathan is playing an amazing game. To the point where the cheerleaders are exchanging glances every time he drives the lane and makes a basket. By the end of the third, he's got 36 points, and there is still time left on the clock. Oak Lake is up by 10, but as Coach Jennings always reminds them, it's not over until the buzzer sounds, and there are a lot of minutes left to play.

With three minutes left in the game, one of the opposing players clips Nathan with a cheap shot. The guy raises his elbow and hits him just below the eye, and Nathan falls to the floor, clutching his face with his left hand.

Peyton and the trainer are the first two people at his side, while the rest of the team gets into a big shoving match with the home side.

"Nathan!" she says worriedly, kneeling next to him and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Are you OK?"

He pulls his hand away from his face, and he's got a short gash on his cheekbone that's dripping blood, and his eye is already swelling. The trainer presses a clean towel to the cut, and Nathan winces under the pressure.

"I'm fine," he insists. Peyton shakes her head at him and sighs. "Really, I'm fine."

"Nathan, we need to get that cut closed," the trainer tells him.

"So we'll close it. You have steri-strips, right?" Nathan asks, pushing himself up off the floor. He sends Peyton a smile, since she just looks so cute all worried about him. "I'm not taking the bench."

"Nathan..."

"Just sit down," Peyton demands. "We're up by 13! You're hurt."

"Baby, I'm _fine_," he tells her.

She wonders if he's concussed when he runs his hand up and down her arm, then winks at her before he heads over to the bench and their trainer starts cleaning the wound. They've never done anything that 'couple-y' in public.

Just about all the cheerleaders, and all the players, are staring between Peyton and Nathan, and she knows they've maybe just outed themselves. But she doesn't know if she's ever seen anything as sexy as him wiping blood from his face, having medical tape placed over his cut, and then stepping to the free throw line in front of her.

She can't focus on anything that isn't him, and Claire actually has to shout at her to remind her to cheer.

As soon as the buzzer sounds, she rushes towards Nathan again, and he laughs when she throws her arms around him.

"You're an idiot," she says seriously, hitting his chest as she pulls away.

"You were all worried before, and now you're the one hurting me," he teases.

"You scared me," she admits quietly.

"It wasn't _my_ fault," he reminds her. "That jackass just came down on me."

"Price you pay for being the best," she says, looking up at him with a shadow of a smile. He loves that she thinks he's the best.

"You coming over later?" he asks. Though it takes everything in him not to grip her hips and pull her body against his, he manages.

"You want me to?" she asks needlessly.

"Oh, I am so getting laid tonight," he growls, and her jaw drops.

"Not now, you aren't!" she cries, hitting his arm.

"OK, enough with the abuse!" he laughs. "I've already got a black eye and a gash that thankfully doesn't need stitches."

She bites her lip and takes a deep breath, and starts backing away from him. If he keeps talking like that, she won't even wait to get to his place. He smirks at her and shakes his head, and then turns around to head back to the locker room.

He saw that look in her eyes. He's pretty sure tonight's the night.

And he's never been more nervous about anything in his life.

----

The girls stop for milkshakes at the dairy on the way home from Huntsville, and they spend an hour gossiping and talking about the game and just acting like the teenage girls they are.

But Peyton keeps checking the time and wishing they'd just get back on the road already. None of the girls know her plans, and she wants to keep it that way, but it's closing in on 10:00 and they have another 40 minutes to drive before they're back in Oak Lake. She's going to have to go straight to his house in her cheer uniform, and she just knows he'll have some comment about that.

They finally make it back to the school, and she gets into her car, and she realizes that there is an entire swarm of butterflies in her stomach. And she kind of likes it. The whole drive to his place takes all of 13 minutes, but each red light she comes upon, she bangs her hand on the wheel, and then immediately wonders why the hell she's acting like this.

Oh, right. Nathan Scott is waiting for her.

She takes a deep breath before knocking on his door. She's got her bag slung over her shoulder, holding her change of clothes that she would have had anyway, since it's a game day, and her pom poms are attached to the side of the bag.

"Wow," he says, looking her up and down. "I was hoping for a sexy nurse, but this'll do."

"Shut up," she says, walking past him and setting her bag by the sofa. "I didn't have time to change."

"Oh, I'm not complaining," he says.

She notices the bag of ice wrapped in a towel sitting on the coffee table, and she turns around and closes the distance between them, bringing her right hand to his face and gently tracing the now fully-formed bruise that's there.

"Jeez, Nathan," she says softly. "This looks really bad."

"OK, not exactly the words I was expecting," he laughs, and she rolls her eyes. He shrugs his shoulder. "I've had worse."

"Come here," she says, leading him to the sofa and picking up the ice.

She leans toward him and gently presses the towel to his eye, and she notices him trying not to wince. He places one hand over hers, and the other on her knee, and she smiles at him. She doesn't know why she feels the overwhelming need to take care of him and make sure he's alright, but it's there, so she's going to do everything she can to make him feel better.

"Better than a nurse," he says, and she shakes her head.

"You have a headache or anything?" she asks. "I could get you some Tylenol."

"I'm fine," he insists with a smile. "But I kind of like how worried you are. And I saw you at the game. You were ready to kill that guy."

"He can't just hit people!" she says seriously. "That guy's just...ugh!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me," he says, laughing at how protective she's being. He's never really had a girl be protective over him before. "Not that I hate the attention, but I'm really OK."

"Can I kiss you now?" she asks, smiling at him as he sets the ice on the table again.

"I guess," he says, shrugging his shoulder, and laughing when she scowls at him. "Come here."

He tugs her wrist and lays back on the sofa so she's on top of him, and she finally kisses him like he's wanted her to all day. He tugs on the gold ribbon that's holding her ponytail in place, and he drops it on the floor, letting her curls fall around her face. He buries his hand in her hair and lets his other hand fall to the small of her back and hold her against him. She makes a little sound when his fingertips graze the bare skin just above the waistband of her skirt, and he lets out a gruff noise when her hand comes up to rest on his cheek.

"Sorry!" she says, pulling away from him. He just shakes his head and smiles, and brings her back towards him to kiss her again.

His hand travels from her back to her thigh, then moves up beneath the material of her cheerleading skirt. He lets out a sound in disappointment when he learns that her 'cheer bloomers' are attached to the skirt and she pulls away from him.

"What?" she asks breathlessly, brushing the hair back from her face.

"There goes that fantasy," he states, grinning at her.

"What fantasy?" she asks, though she already knows the answer.

"Uh uhn," he mumbles, shaking his head as he attempts to lean forward and kiss her again.

But she's not going to let him get away with it that easily. She places her hands on his chest and straddles his lap, and looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Hot cheerleader, leave the skirt on," he explains, skipping the details he knows she doesn't need to hear, and she laughs.

"And you've never done that before?" she asks, running her hands down his chest to his stomach.

"No," he says. She can see it in his eyes that he's not lying, and she wonders, briefly, how she knows him that well already.

She stands and reaches for his hand, and it's all he can do not to keep kissing her as she leads him to his bedroom. He's really glad he took the time to tidy up. She's seen his room before, of course, but she's never really been inside. She's never walked around in there, and she's certainly never been in his bed.

She stands directly in front of him, and he leans down to kiss her again, but she stops him.

"When's your birthday?" she asks abruptly.

"What?"

"Your birthday. When is it?" she repeats.

"May 18th," he says confusedly. "Why? When's yours?"

"February 4th," she says. "OK. Kiss me."

"Hang on," he says with a laugh, pushing her away a little and placing his hands on her shoulders. "What was that about?"

"I don't want to sleep with someone whose birthday I don't know," she explains, trying to move closer to him. He's stronger, and he keeps her at arm's length.

"Wait," he says softly. "Peyton, this is...maybe we should wait."

"What?" Surely he didn't just say what she thinks he just said.

"You're right," he admits. "We...I really like you, and you're...so amazing. But I don't want to rush anything."

"Are you serious?" she asks needlessly. She can tell he's completely serious.

"OK, try not to be so shocked," he says, taking her hand and leading her to sit at the edge of the bed.

"I've just never had a guy turn me down before," she says in awe. "Wow, that sounds really slutty."

"No," he laughs. "It doesn't at all. It's just that, in the past, I've rushed things, or tried to. And...I don't want to mess this up."

"OK, stop saying sweet things," she warns him, placing her hand on his thigh.

"Peyton, I want you. _Trust_ me, I want you," he growls. "But I like the way things are going, you know?"

"You really are surprising," she says softly. "We'll wait."

"I feel like a girl, suggesting it," he mumbles, and she laughs.

"Well, acting like a girl just got you bonus points with me," she says, leaning over to kiss him softly. "OK. I'm gonna go."

"Stay," he says quickly, reaching for her hand. "I mean, if you can. If you want to. We can just hang out. You can ice my eye."

"Are you sure? Because if you think it'll be weird..."

"Why would it be weird?" he asks with a furrowed brow. "Because you can't resist my hot body and I want us to wait to have sex?"

"OK, that's not helping," she warns him and they both laugh. "But...yeah. I'll stay."

"OK," he says softly, pressing his lips to hers.

She gets up and reaches for her favourite sweater of his as it hangs in his closet, and she disappears into the bathroom and emerges with her uniform in her hands and her legs stemming out beneath his sweatshirt. She tells him to wait one minute, runs into the living room, and then returns with his ice, two bottles of water, and the bar of chocolate she had in her bag.

He turns on the television, and they find an Entourage marathon, and she curls into his side beneath the covers. They eat rich chocolate, and she kisses his injured cheekbone tenderly, and when they turn out the light just after midnight, all he can think is how good it all feels.

It's easy with Peyton, and he's never really felt that comfortable or that _himself_ with anyone.


	7. Chapter 7

Peyton wakes up in an unfamiliar room, on an unfamiliar bed, wearing a sweater with a shockingly familiar scent to it. She takes a deep breath and rolls onto her back, and Nathan is propped up on his elbow looking down at her.

"'Morning," he says.

She just groans and rolls away from him again, making him laugh.

"You're a morning person, aren't you?" she mumbles.

"6:00 am practice five days a week since I was 11," he tells her. He places his hand on the curve of her waist and leans over to kiss her temple.

"I like sleep," she says, and he lets out a soft laugh.

"I like you in my bed," he says softly, pulling her a little closer to him.

"How can you be so charming this early?" she asks, turning so she's on her back again.

"It's almost 10:00," he tells her with a smirk.

"That's early."

"Not for normal people," he chuckles. "Come on. I'll make breakfast."

"Can you cook?" she asks as she watches him stand from the bed in just his boxers. Even the shiner on his eye is sexy. Actually, it's really sexy. It's like a battle wound and...

Wow, she really just finds everything about him incredible.

"I can make toast and coffee," he says with a smirk, pulling on a pair of loose-fitting basketball shorts. "Are you getting up?"

"Call me when it's ready?" she requests, smiling sweetly at him as she pulls the blankets up around her a little more.

"Toast takes like, two minutes, but OK," he says, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

She takes a minute to look around the room, and notices that it's not like the other boys' rooms she's been in - not that that's a staggering number. She used to joke and call Julian 'Dawson' because of all the movie posters he had on his wall, and his relentless organization of his DVD collection. Other boys had photos of athletes or sports teams.

Nathan has bare walls, tastefully painted, and all his furniture matched, but it wasn't pretentious. Just simple dark wood. She sees the framed photo of him and his mother, and, propped up against the wall, a large frame she notices is face down. She gets out of bed and walks over, turning the frame around to see that it is just that; an empty frame. She looks at it quizzically for a moment, wondering why he even has it. It's an odd thing to have just sitting in one's room. When she hears his voice calling for her, she puts the frame back in its place and heads out for her breakfast.

"You have pants or something?" he asks with a raised eyebrow. "Because seriously, you wearing just my sweater is going to be hard to deal with all day."

"I have pants," she says, shrugging her shoulder and raising herself up to sit on the counter.

"But you're not going to wear them," he states, handing her a mug.

"No."

"Alright then," he chuckles. "I suppose I'll just have to keep my hands to myself."

She grabs his wrist and pulls him towards her, and he stands between her legs as she drapes her arms over his shoulders.

"Or you could not," she says softly.

He leans in and kisses her, and just as she's pulling him a little closer, her phone rings. She pushes him away and smiles apologetically before hopping off the counter and pulling her phone out of her bag.

"Hello?...Hey Cath...Um, that sounds fun, but I have plans...with Nathan...Yeah, I'm meeting him in a bit...OK, cool...Yeah, I'll call you tomorrow...Bye."

She hangs up her phone, and Nathan's standing there with his arms crossed, a smirk on his face, and one eyebrow raised.

"What?" she asks.

"You just lied to your friend," he points out.

"It's...It's no big deal," she says with a shrug of her shoulders. But she can tell he's not buying it. "She doesn't understand...She's..."

"Peyton," he says softly, chuckling a little bit.

"She doesn't necessarily agree with...pre-marital sleepovers," Peyton explains delicately, locking eyes with him so he'll understand what she's really saying. "And she would kill me if I she knew I told you that."

"My lips are sealed," he promises.

There's something about her sharing that information and trusting him with it that makes him smile. She knows he won't say anything. He trusts her with his secrets, and she trusts him with hers. He didn't have to prove himself and jump through hoops to convince her he's the kind of guy she needs. It's new to him, this kind of relationship. There's something...healthy about it.

She reaches for her coffee cup and cradles it in her hands, and when she's standing at the counter with her back to him, he walks up behind her and places his hands on the counter on either side of her. He leans down and kisses the side of her neck, and her head lolls to the side.

"Nathan."

"Hmm?"

"You need to stop that," she states.

"No," he says between kisses.

"OK, this waiting thing is going to be really difficult if you keep kissing me there," she tells him.

"Here?" he asks, finding one particular spot, just below her ear, and smirking when she takes a quick breath.

"Stop," she sighs, pulling away from him a bit. "Seriously, Nathan."

"So, what? We can't even kiss now?" he asks with a laugh, watching her bite into a piece of toast.

As soon as he's said the words, he realizes that they're similar to ones Haley used once upon a time when he was trying not to pressure her, and he was worried about being insensitive. It dawns on him that he's not worried about pressuring Peyton at all. They're waiting for a different reason. A mutual decision was made after a rational conversation, and it's for the good of their relationship.

But he really wants to keep kissing her.

"You can," she says, shrugging her shoulder. "I just...need you to not right now."

"You want me, don't you?" he states, crossing his arms as he stands in front of her.

"I wouldn't be standing in your kitchen after sleeping in your bed, wearing only your sweater, if I didn't want you," she points out before taking a sip of her coffee.

"I guess that's true," he says.

They sip coffee and laugh, and she tells him he doesn't have enough food in his fridge and pantry, and he tells her he's not much of a cook, that he only knows how to make a few things. She says she'll teach him a few things, and he raises an eyebrow, making her roll his eyes at him. He really does interpret everything to be an innuendo, and that might bother her if she didn't know he was joking. Well, mostly joking.

He has a quick shower, and Peyton pulls on her jeans and tee shirt, then reaches for his sweater again. It's cold in Nathan's apartment. Not to mention, she really likes the way his sweater smells and the way she feels wearing the far-too-big cotton. It doesn't hurt that she catches him looking every so often, and he always just smiles at her.

"So I was thinking..." he starts as he walks down the hall, pulling his tee shirt over his torso.

"We should talk," she finishes. He doesn't know how she knew that. Maybe it's just that they're in that stage of their relationship, and they both want everything to be out in the open.

"Yeah," he says, sitting down next to her on the sofa. "I'm sure you have questions about...everything."

"A few, yeah," she admits softly. "I just don't want to ask something you don't want to tell."

"Don't worry about that," he insists, looking over at her. "If we're going to be together, you need to know about my past. I want to know about yours, too."

"OK," she whispers, leaning over and kissing him gently.

"You want to know about Haley, don't you?" he asks, and she nods her head.

"How did you meet her? How did you decide to get married? How _did_ you get married?" she asks quickly. He chuckles when he sees her blush at her questioning. It's obvious that it's been on her mind for a while.

"I was...You should know that I wasn't a good guy before everything happened. I was actually...pretty terrible," he says, just to prepare her for the story. "Lucas joined the team and I didn't want him there. Haley was his best friend, so I went to her for tutoring, and I fully intended on just...messing with her to mess with him."

"You were using her." She's not angry or really affected at all, she just wants to be clear.

"At first, yeah," he says shamefully. He's the first to admit how far he's come. "Then Lucas stayed on the team, and I started realizing that she was a great girl. We started dating, and she helped me, you know? She helped me through everything with my parents, and she helped me get closer to Lucas, and then one night, we just...we decided to get married."

"Just like that?"

"Well, yeah." He lets out a soft laugh at the look of bewilderment on her face. "We thought that was it, you know? I mean, it obviously wasn't, but we had fun pretending for a while."

"How did you even...I mean, 16 year olds can't just get married," Peyton says.

"I was emancipated, so that wasn't a problem. And we just talked to her parents," Nathan tells her, as though it's the simplest thing in the world.

"And they let you marry their daughter," she says and he nods his head. "My dad barely let me go to New York for a weekend with Julian and his parents!"

"He's going to hate me, isn't he?" Nathan asks with a smile, laughing when she rolls her eyes.

"Just try to not to ask if you can marry me within the next year and we'll be alright," she teases, and they both laugh. They both know that he has no intentions of doing anything of the sort.

"Things were good for a while," Nathan presses on. "We were just building a life together, you know? We were both working and going to school. I had basketball, and she started getting more into her music." He pauses and shakes his head. "And then Chris Keller came along."

"Wait," Peyton said, closing her eyes and holding up her hand. "Chris Keller? That guy's disgusting!"

Nathan smiles because someone finally gets it. Everyone had wanted to give Chris, and Haley for that matter, the benefit of the doubt. He knows Peyton's biased because she doesn't know anyone else, but he loves that she's immediately on his side.

"Even more disgusting when you find out he's been kissing your wife," Nathan says, and Peyton sets her jaw and shakes her head. "The tour came up, and Haley went on the road. I told her to choose between me and the tour, and she left."

"So how did you...I mean, when did you find out about the cheating. Other than the kissing," Peyton asks as delicately as she can.

"I realized how selfish it was - well, how selfish I thought it was - to have asked her to stay. I mean, at the time, I thought to myself, you know, she never asked _me_ to give up anything."

"What do you mean, 'at the time'?"

"Looking back...I dunno...I guess I realize that she was always asking me to change. And I did change, and it was all for the better, but...even when I was a decent guy...I guess I just always felt I had to keep giving more," he explains. "Like she always expected more."

"That's...what a horrible way to live," she says candidly.

"I drove out to meet her on the road. I wanted to tell her to chase her dream, but come back to me, you know? I think I was just...I probably knew it was over, and I just wanted to hang on," Nathan says seriously. "That's when I found her in her hotel room with him, and that was it."

"Him being Chris?" Peyton asks and Nathan nods his head. "Wow."

"So I had the annulment papers drawn up, and sent them to her on the road. They came back signed, and I signed, and that was that," he says. He shrugs his shoulder like it's not a big deal, but he knows it is. "I went to High Flyers, the scout from Oak Lake recruited me, and I left Tree Hill."

"Was it hard?" she asks. "To just leave your life like that, I mean."

"Well, that's not really how I look at it," he says, smiling at her. "This is my life. It's mine, and I'm making my own choices for me for the first time. Not my dad or Haley or...anyone."

"I think...I think that you're really strong, to be able to do that," Peyton says, stroking his knuckles with her thumb.

"Well, you're not exactly a pushover either," he reminds her, and she laughs. "You've basically raised yourself."

"Hey," she says with a furrowed brow. "That's not entirely true. I've...it's been hard, but my dad...he takes care of me."

"I didn't mean..."

"I know," she says quietly. "I just know my dad worries sometimes. He thinks he's abandoned me, but...this life is kind of all I can remember, you know? He's always been in politics."

"He's pretty successful," Nathan states. It's almost a question. Obviously, the man is successful. He finds himself want to know more and more about her life.

So she tells him.

She tells him how her dad went from running for mayor, to state government in only a few short years. She tells him all about her mother's death and growing up with a single parent. She tells him about lavish trips to Europe with her father, and how hard she's tried not to get caught up in being a 'rich kid'. Sure, she drives and Audi and lives in a big house, and never goes without anything, but she's not like a lot of the students at the school. She doesn't feel like she's entitled to anything, and she can deal with hearing the word 'no'. She doesn't expect people to bow at her feet and give her any special treatment.

And Nathan is smitten.

He really wishes he'd met her years ago. He knows, however, that his younger self - the one from even a year ago - would have messed it up. He would have been arrogant and pushy, and he would have inadvertently driven her away. Now, he understands himself a little more. He understands the world a little more. He's been through a lot in a short amount of time, and if he's being honest, it probably all prepared him for a girl like her.

She asks him about his relationship with his brother and why it all went south, so he tells her the full story. He tells her about Lucas trying to bring down Dan, and the lies about backing off. He tells her about Lucas going to see Haley and lying about that, too, and all the other little things. How he treated Brooke the first time they dated - cheating on her with one of the other cheerleaders. Peyton just shakes her head. She has no idea how he's so stable, when his family life has been anything but.

"So...you freaked out yet?" he asks with a smirk. He checks the clock and sees they've been talking for hours. It's almost dinner time. He never thought he'd have that much fun just talking with a girl.

"No! Not at all," she insists. "I just...I mean, I heard stupid gossipy stories, but...You really are brave, Nathan."

"I'm not brave," he says, shaking his head. "I just get up every time I get knocked down."

He says it as though it's the simplest thing in the world, and she can only smile at him.

"They call that courage, Nate," she tells him.

"Or stupidity," he laughs, and she rolls her eyes. "Thanks, though."

She wraps her arms around him and kisses him gently, then runs her thumb over the bruise on his cheek.

"I'd tell you to take me out to dinner, but I don't know if I want to be seen with you like this," she teases.

"Hey! It's badass," he says with a smirk, reaching up to touch his face.

"It's definitely a little sexy," she murmurs, leaning forward to kiss him again. "But...let's order in and watch a movie or something."

"You want to...I mean, you could stay over again," he suggests, and she smiles.

"I don't really have clothes."

"And that's a problem?" he asks. She so knew he'd say that.

"I just have to call Sandra," she says, getting up and walking to the kitchen to grab her phone off the counter.

"And Sandra is?"

"Housekeeper," she says quickly. "Hey!...Yeah, it's me...I'm gonna be out tonight, OK? I'll be back tomorrow...OK...Thanks...Bye."

"That's that?" he asks, smiling at her as she comes back to the sofa and settles herself into his side.

"Yup," she says simply.

They spend the evening eating Chinese from her favourite place, and watching the Ocean's movies, with Peyton making comments about Matt Damon - who Nathan learns is one of her top five favourite actors. After dark, and part way through Ocean's 12, she rushes into his room and pulls off her jeans, leaving her in just his sweater. She pulls on her pair of cotton sleep shorts, then runs back to the sofa and lays down beneath the blanket with her back to his chest.

He's never been so comfortable with anyone. Never in his life. It's scary that he realizes it, even though he and Peyton aren't 'really' a couple. Well, he isn't 'technically' her boyfriend. They're a couple. They're something. He's confused. It's been a day of heavy conversation, and the only thing they didn't really cover was their own relationship. He just assumes they will soon.

It's closing in on 1:00 a.m. when they finally head to bed. She's falling asleep in his arms on the sofa, and as nice a guy he is, he really doesn't want to have to carry her to the bedroom.

She takes his hand as they stand, and they walk together to his room, and she's beneath the covers before he's even got his jeans off. She watches him as he pulls off his tee shirt and climbs in next to her in just his boxers, and he's more than a little surprised when she starts kissing him. Not five minutes earlier, she was half passed out on the couch.

But of course, he'll go along with it.

Things become heated far too quickly, and he knows where this is headed if one of them doesn't have the good sense to stop it. He's _this_ close to pulling his sweater up over her head, but he can't bring himself to actually do it. He's never seen her topless before - though he's _certainly_ thought about it, and he's _certainly_ wanted to - and if he takes that step, there'll be no stopping things. He just knows that

"Stop," he breathes out when she slips her fingers beneath the waistband of his boxers. "Stop."

"Sorry," she says breathlessly, rolling onto her back and running her hand through her matted curls.

"Don't apologize," he chuckles. He turns on his side and places his large hand over her stomach, and she tries not to shiver under that simple touch.

"You're amazing, Nathan," she says sincerely, locking eyes with him.

He knows what she means. He knows she is just in awe that he's so willing - so insistent - on taking things slow.

But he just can't let that one go.

"And we haven't even slept together yet," he growls, kissing the side of her neck.

"Sleep," she demands, rolling away from him so her back is to him.

He pulls her closer and wraps his arm around her, and he whispers goodnight before they both close their eyes and let sleep take over.

He could really get used to having her around.

----

They wake up Sunday morning around 9:00. She teases him for sleeping in so 'late', and he tells her that he must just like sleeping next to her. He grins when she blushes.

He gets up to make coffee, and brings her toast and a mug of steaming liquid, and they eat in his bed, watching the Food Network and laughing with each other. She has no idea why she's so comfortable with him, why it's so easy with him. It really shouldn't be. She's pretty sure it should be difficult, actually, what with all the history they each have. Somehow, together, they're just...simple. She really likes that.

She tells him she has to go back to the real world and do homework, and he reluctantly tells her he has to do the same thing. He hasn't worked out all weekend, and he hasn't touched his books, so he needs to take the day and do both.

"It's amazing how committed you are to basketball," she says after taking a sip of her coffee.

"It's easy," he says with a shrug of his shoulder. "Basketball is...it's the one thing I love that'll always be there, you know?"

She does know. That's how she feels about her art.

"I understand."

"And it's like...even if something happens and I can't play at college or in the NBA, I'll still have it as an outlet," he explains.

"Exactly," she says, as though he's just explained her relationship with art. It's kind of philosophical, if you really think about it.

It's 11:00 by the time she actually stands from the bed. She surprises him by going to the closet instead of picking up her jeans or reaching for her clothes from her bag.

"What are you doing?" he asks, propping himself up on an elbow.

"Nothing," she answers, though they're both aware it's a complete lie.

She pulls out a black silk tie, one that doesn't keep with the dress code of their school, so she's never seen him wear it, then she runs into the bathroom to change into her jeans and the tee shirt she'd grabbed from her bag.

"Are you stealing my tie?" he asks.

"Uh huh," she says as she walks out the door into the hallway.

He gets up and trots out after her, just in time to see her slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Why, exactly?" he inquires as he takes her hands in his, effectively stopping her from grabbing her keys off the counter.

"Because I want to."

"And what Peyton wants, Peyton gets, right?" he asks, making her glare at him teasingly.

"I just want this tie," she says with a shrug. "I'll see you tomorrow, OK?"

"OK," he says after kissing her softly.

He gets dressed and jogs to the school, where he meets up with Matt, Robbie, and Aaron - another guy on the team - and the four of them play two on two for a bit before going their separate ways.

Nathan spends the rest of his evening doing homework, smiling and thinking about Peyton. He wants to text her or call her, but he really doesn't have anything meaningful to say. He just wants to talk to her.

He's acting like a girl.

----

The next day at school, the first thing he notices when he sees her is that black silk tie holding her blonde curls back from her face like a headband. The ends of the tie dangle between her shoulder blades, and he smirks at her and leans against his locker as she approaches.

"I don't think I've ever seen your hair look so good," he says, loud enough for only her to hear.

They each see classmates staring at them, and they know that after the game that Friday night, people know they're together. It's probably already gone through the gossip circles - no doubt started by some of the other cheerleaders or players - and now the whole school probably knows.

Nathan doesn't really care if they know or not.

"Thought you might like it," she says as she grabs her notebook and English books from her locker. "You know, at Oak Lake, the tradition goes that if a girl wears a guy's tie, that means he's her boyfriend."

"Is that right?" he asks as she closes her locker and they start walking down the hall.

"Yep. It's been that way since the school opened," she explains, casting a sideward glance and trying to read his reaction.

"Well, if it's tradition," he says with a shrug of his shoulders.

She lets out a little chuckle and shakes her head. She had thought he'd freak out and tell her that she was crazy and that he'd already told her that he wasn't going to be her boyfriend. He'd never actually said those words, but she thought he might try to tell her that he had. Clearly, she'd underestimated him.

Instead, he winks at her as they take their seats in their class, and he passes her a note midway through the period, asking her if there's maybe something she could do for him, since he 'let' her steal his tie. She glares at him and they both laugh, but their teacher forgoes giving them detention when Robbie explains that there was a squirrel outside who couldn't climb the tree, and makes the absurd story sound not only hilarious, but also almost believable.

When they thank him after class, Peyton jokes that he's filling his attorney father's shoes well, talking his way out of situations, but Robbie asks what the joke was anyway. Peyton's face goes red, and Nathan laughs at that, and Robbie decides he really doesn't want to know, whatever it was.

She winks at Nathan when he has to go to gym, and she has to go to history, and he kind of wishes he'd kissed her. He really should have. He's her boyfriend, and he wants to be, and though he's never been too big on PDA, and she told him that she wasn't either, he thinks he could peck her lips or her forehead before they go their separate ways. Right?

When he catches up with her at lunch, he pulls her into an empty classroom and kisses her before she even knows what's going on. She moans in surprise, and his blood runs a little warmer.

"Come over later," he says.

"OK," she says breathlessly. After a kiss like that, she'll pretty much do anything he suggests.

He smirks and kisses her one last time, and when he lets go of her hand, he surprises her by placing it on the small of her back as they walk into the hall. She smiles over at him, and he returns the gesture.

She sees her three girlfriends smiling at her at the end of the hall, and Ginny has a raised eyebrow. Peyton just rolls her eyes and keeps walking, and she hears her friends laughing.

Nathan chuckles at how red her cheeks are, and she glares at him, but they both know it's all playful.

"Hey, I'll see you in calc," he says, running his hand down her arm, grazing her fingertips with his own before he lets her go.

"OK," she says with a smile, and he smiles at her again before walking off in the opposite direction.

This boy makes her weak in the knees, and she wants to feel that as much as possible.


	8. Chapter 8

By the following week, everyone in school knows they're dating. They haven't exactly been subtle about it. He'll take her hand when they're walking, or he'll kiss her by her car before he goes to his. She'll watch him during practice, and he'll carry her books. She talks to her girlfriends about him - and they tease her relentlessly - and Nathan catches adolescent and innocent flack from his teammates.

They really don't care what anyone else thinks.

They're having fun and building their relationship, and they don't need to hide that; they won't. Nathan has tried to keep his relationships secret in the past, and it's always come back to haunt him. He won't make that mistake with Peyton. And if he's being honest, he kind of loves everyone knowing she's his girl. He's seen the way guys look at her - and really, he can't blame them - but he likes that they now all know that she's not single. They look at her differently. It's appreciation without the boyish lust. They all know better than to look at her any other way. Nathan may be new at the school, but his reputation is known, and as the team's star player, people seem to know not to mess with him.

"Hey," Nathan says, smiling as she opens her locker in the morning. He's been waiting for her for 10 minutes, and it's not like her to be late.

"Hey," she echoes. "Have you seen my cardigan? The green one. The one I love. I couldn't find it anywhere. Hence, the lateness."

He pulls the dark green fabric from his locker and hands it to her, a smirk firmly in place on his lips.

"You left it last night," he reminds her needlessly. "I also found this."

He pulls a gold ribbon from the pocket of his pants, and she smiles and looks up at him. It's one of the ribbons she usually wears in her hair when she cheers, and she hadn't even noticed it was missing.

He places the ribbon in her palm, and she toys with it for a moment before reaching over and tucking it into the breast pocket of his Oxford shirt.

"Keep it," she says with a shrug.

"Why?" he asks.

"Good luck charm," she suggests.

He's about to respond when Catherine walks up and bumps Peyton's hip with her own. Peyton laughs and shakes her head at what's been her friend's standard greeting for years, and Nathan goes back to gathering his things from his locker.

"You two are far too...together now," Catherine muses. "Seriously, Nathan, you're stealing our girl."

"She's my girl now," he says, winking at Peyton.

Her heart is melting. How does he come up with this stuff?

"Well...we can share her," Catherine says, and Peyton just stands there, looking between her boyfriend and her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not _property_," she reminds them. Nathan shrugs his shoulder, and Catherine rolls her eyes. "You guys suck. And Cath? I'd expect this from Ginny. Not you."

Her tone is teasing, of course. She kind of has been spending less time with her friends, and she knows she sucks for that, but what can she say? They don't fault her for wanting to spend time with her boyfriend. They really can't. Claire used to spend all her time with Duncan, and Ginny, when she's not single, pretty much disappears. Catherine's last boyfriend lived the town over, so she was around marginally more. That doesn't mean she wasn't on the road to his place every chance she got.

"Anyway, we have a cheer meeting," Catherine explains. "Sorry, Nathan."

"No problem. I'll just catch up with you later, OK?" he says sweetly, leaning over to kiss Peyton, and she smiles against his lips.

"Bye," Peyton says as Catherine starts down the hall impatiently. She catches up to her friend and they turn down the hall towards the room where their meeting is being held. "Am I really spending too much time with him?"

"What? No! I was totally joking!" Catherine insists, laughing at the misunderstanding.

"You sure? Because...I dunno. I feel like maybe I'm being a bad friend," Peyton says worriedly. "I don't want to be the girl who blows her friends off as soon as she has a boyfriend."

"It's fine. You're good," Catherine insists.

"But...come to Matt's place after the game Friday night, or we'll never speak to you again," Ginny says, appearing seemingly out of nowhere

"Liar," Peyton mutters.

"Yeah, but we still want you to come," Catherine says with a shrug of her shoulders.

"OK. Fine. I'll come," Peyton says. Her friends know her well, and they know the smile on her face is saying there's more to the story.

"You were already going to go, weren't you?" Ginny says, raising her eyebrow as they take their seats for their 'urgent' meeting.

"Post-game party, and I'm the cheerleader dating the star shooting guard. Yeah, I was already going," Peyton says, making them all laugh. "But I promise we'll all hang out. Without Nathan, if you want."

"No, we like Nathan," Ginny says sincerely. "More than Julian."

"OK, not hard," Catherine laughs. "You _hated_ Julian."

"He was an ass," Ginny mutters.

"Well, I'm glad you approve, girls, but our captain is glaring at us," Peyton says, gesturing towards Claire as she stands at the head of the room with her hands on her hips.

The three of them turn their attention to their friend and captain, and listen intently as Claire outlines new cheers and new tactics for the game that Friday night.

----

Nathan and Peyton are strolling through town the night before the game after eating at one of Peyton's favourite places. It was just a little pizza parlour, but Nathan can't lie - it was some of the best pizza he'd ever had. He kind of loved that she could go from making chicken parmesan in his kitchen one day, to eating cheap pizza at a little restaurant the next.

"So, Verona tomorrow night," Peyton states.

"Yeah. They're tough," he tells her, though he's sure she already knows. "Their point guard is ridiculous. Like, probably best in the state."

"Well, it's a good thing we've got the best shooting guard in the state," she says, looping her arm through his.

"You really are a cheerleader," he says, chuckling at her.

"Whatever! I know your stats, Nathan. You're the leading scorer in North Carolina right now," she says, and he stops in his tracks and looks at her.

"OK, I didn't even know that. How do _you_ know that?" he asks. He smiles when she looks to the ground, and he sees the blush creep to her cheeks.

"I keep track," she says nonchalantly. She shrugs her shoulder, then his hands are on her cheeks, bringing her face to his so he can kiss her, right there in the middle of the sidewalk.

He might like this girl.

They're interrupted - though it's probably for the best - when Nathan's phone rings in his pocket. He lets out a groan and pulls away from her as he reaches for his cell. His brow furrows when he sees the name on the screen.

"Hey, Brooke," he says, unable to mask his confusion. Peyton can't either, and he shrugs his shoulders at her.

"Nathan. Hi," she says quickly.

"What's wrong?" he asks knowingly.

"Nothing, I'm...Lucas and I had a fight, and he's _stupidly_ at my place with Haley, and I don't want to be there. I'm kind of halfway to Oak Lake right now, and I'm really hoping that you'll say it's OK if I come hang out."

He doesn't know what's happened, but he's already pissed at Lucas for hurting Brooke again. Not that he really needs another reason to be pissed at Lucas.

"Yeah, of course, Brooke," he says sincerely. "I'm apartment 17, 544 High Street."

"Right, see...I may have lied when I said I'm halfway there. I'm actually just driving through downtown, and...Oh, you're with Peyton!" Brooke squeals, her sadness seemingly erased by the gossip. "You're holding her hand!"

"Brooke," he laughs, "hang up, park your car, and come talk to me."

He ends the call and looks across the street to where Brooke's pulling into a vacant spot, and he just shakes his head.

"What's going on?" Peyton asks with a chuckle, watching the brunette run across the street.

"Lucas is a dick, she's upset, she drove out here so I could help her out," he paraphrases, though he may be exaggerating.

"Nathan!" Brooke cries, throwing her arms around him. Peyton lets go of his hand so he can wrap his arms around his friend. "Hi, Peyton."

"Hey, Brooke," Peyton chuckles.

"So sorry to interrupt your _date_, Superstar," Brooke says, wiggling her eyebrows as she pats his chest. "And when did this all happen? Last we talked, you said you two were just 'hanging out'. When did it upgrade to BF and GF."

"It's...been a couple weeks," Peyton fills in when she sees that Nathan isn't going to offer up the information. Brooke glares at Nathan for not telling her sooner, and he just shrugs one shoulder.

"So, what'd my jackass brother do now?" Nathan asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"OK, well, you know how I was doing the whole 'non-exclusive dating, maybe test him to see if he's really going to be a decent guy, or if he's going to screw me over again' thing?" Brooke outlines, making Peyton laugh softly again.

"Right," Nathan says. "Let me guess. He screwed you over again."

"Sort of. I think. It may have been my fault," Brooke says, grimacing as she recalls the scenario. "I kind of forced him to go on a date with this girl, and he did, and then she stole my squad, and then she was naked in his car after school today!"

"Naked in his car? Isn't that your move?" Nathan asks knowingly, a smirk firmly in place on his lips.

"Not the point," she says sternly. "The point is, I meant for him to like, find a cute sophomore to grab coffee with, not bring slutty redheaded Rachel to my place of work!"

"Whoa, wait," Peyton interjects, holding up one hand. "Slutty redheaded Rachel? Rachel Gatina?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Brooke asks in confusion.

"She went to Oak Lake for a semester last year. She went after Julian, then Duncan, then Matt when he and Vanessa were dating," Peyton explains, looking to Nathan.

"OK, I don't know who _any_ of those people are, but that sounds like her," Brooke says.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Nathan asks sincerely.

"I don't know," Brooke answers softly. "I did the whole thing to...to see if I could trust him again. And I kind of said...you know, one strike."

"But it's not that easy," Peyton finished.

"It's really not," Brooke said, happy that someone understood. She noticed that Nathan was reserving judgement. And she knew him well enough to know that he actually _had_ a judgement, he was just holding it back because he knew she probably wouldn't want to hear it.

"Well, listen, you can stay the night," Nathan insists. "I'll take the couch, and..."

"No," Brooke refutes firmly. "No. You have a game tomorrow, and you need a good night's sleep. I'll just drive back."

"Don't be crazy," Peyton insists. "You should stay." Both Brooke and Nathan look at her like she's crazy. "You can stay at my place if you want."

"What?" Brooke asks in shock. "I can't do that."

"Sure you can," Peyton says with a shrug of her shoulder. "I'll email headmaster Connor tonight, and I'll tell him we have a visitor for school tomorrow."

"Are you serious?" Brooke asks, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Sure," Peyton says. "My dad's in Washington right now, but he wouldn't mind if you crashed."

"What's in Washington?" Brooke asks. Nathan looks at Peyton with a smirk and a raised brow.

"Um...US government," Nathan says, and Peyton swats his chest. "Her dad is Congressman Sawyer."

"Shut up!" Brooke squeals. "That's so cool!"

"I can't believe she gets to go to your house before I do," Nathan mumbles, almost pouting.

"You haven't been to her house yet?" Brooke inquires, kinking her brow. She knows Nathan will know what she's really asking. _'You two haven't slept together yet?'_

"No, I haven't," he answers. He realizes Peyton can probably sense there's a whole other conversation going on. "Come on, Davis. We were just going for ice cream, then you two can head off to your little slumber party."

"You say make that sound so dirty," Brooke laughs, smiling to herself when Nathan takes Peyton's hand again.

"He can make anything sound dirty," Peyton laughs, and both girls roll their eyes when Nathan smirks proudly.

They walk to the little ice cream shop, and Brooke gets giddy over the number of flavours - way more than 32 - and Peyton and Nathan just laugh at how happy she seems, given the circumstances that brought her to Oak Lake in the first place. He drapes his arm lazily over the back of Peyton's chair as they all chat, and Brooke looks at Nathan with wide eyes and barely contained excitement when Peyton isn't paying attention. He just rolls his eyes and shakes his head. But he's still smiling.

They step outside and it's closing in on 9:30. Nathan smiles at the two girls as they laugh over something or another, and he actually really likes that they're getting along so well. And he's really thankful that Peyton is so generous and kind that she'd open her home to a relative stranger, just because she knows the other girl means something to him.

"Brooke, can you give us a sec?" he asks when they approach her car. They'd decided, since Nathan had driven Peyton to dinner, that she'd just go with Brooke to her house.

"Sure," she says, patting his arm before getting into her car.

"You don't have to do this," he tells Peyton, placing his hands on her hips.

"Stop it," Peyton insists. "It's fine. I like Brooke."

"You're alright, Sawyer," he says, and she laughs and wraps her arms around his torso.

"You're OK, too," she says softly. He leans down and kisses her, and she lets out a low moan when he pulls her closer. She's well aware that they're on the sidewalk and one of his friends is clearly watching them, but it appears he isn't. "Nathan."

"Right," he mutters. "Sorry."

"Hmm," she mumbles with her eyes still closed, licking her lips subtly.

She's trying to kill him, he's decided.

"OK. I'll see you tomorrow. Call me if she's too crazy or something," he says, and she just laughs.

"Bye." She kisses him quickly once more, and pulls herself from his arms to climb into Brooke's car.

Nathan watches the two girls drive off, and he knows that they're going to spend the rest of their night talking about him. He really can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Brooke follows the directions Peyton gives her, and before long, they're driving through a gated community, with Peyton pointing out a few friends' houses. Brooke's impressed. She expected a few nice houses and a nice neighbourhood. She didn't expect the congressman's daughter to be driving her through the richest neighbourhood she'd ever seen, telling her to pull into the driveway of the biggest house on the street.

Peyton has a brief conversation with a member of the security on the grounds, and Brooke drives into a 'guest garage' and parks her car.

"OK, this is crazy," she says with a laugh. "I'm used to being the rich girl, but you're like..."

"It's really not a big deal," Peyton insists. "It looks more impressive than it is."

"Has Nathan really never been here?" Brooke asks as she grabs her bag from the trunk of her car.

"We spend most of our time at his place," Peyton says, shrugging her shoulder.

"You live _here_, and you're choosing to spend your time at his one bedroom?" Brooke asks incredulously.

Peyton steps through the front door and looks around for the housekeeper, but there's no one in sight, so she just leads Brooke up the stairs and into the spare bedroom.

"OK, you should have everything you need in here. Towels and all that. But if you need anything, just ask," Peyton says nonchalantly. "You can drop your stuff and we can hang out for a while if you want."

Brooke does as she's told, then follows Peyton into a large bedroom with a queen sized bed with mahogany headboard and matching furniture. She notes an ensuite bathroom, an LCD screen, complex stereo system, stacks upon stacks of vinyl and CDs, and huge walk in closet.

"OK, you are like, a princess," Brooke teases, taking a seat on one of the chairs in the room.

"It's just home," she says with a shrug. She hates it when people call her 'princess', but she knows Brooke didn't mean it with any negative connotation, so she brushes it off.

"So, I can really just come to your school and hang out tomorrow?" Brooke asks skeptically, watching as Peyton searches through her albums for something to listen to.

"Oh yeah," Peyton insists. "Our headmaster is totally relaxed about that. He'll just ask where you're from and how long you're staying. He's kind of a cool guy. He's like, 35 and an alumna. He played ball for Oak Lake when he went there."

"Seriously, I could get used to this place," Brooke says. "This is such a cute little town. And...it's nice to be away from all the drama of Tree Hill for a little bit."

"I can imagine."

"I honestly just got in my car and started driving out of town. I had no idea I was going to end up here," Brooke explains. "I just needed to get out."

"I don't really know Lucas," Peyton starts, sitting in the chair across from Brooke and tucking her legs beneath her, "but he kind of sounds like he...doesn't really know what's going on."

"He's a boy," Brooke shrugs. "Not all 17 year old guys are as...I dunno...worldly as Nathan."

"Yeah, I guess," Peyton says, nodding her head. "He has been through a lot."

"So you know about...everything?" Brooke asks delicately.

"Yeah, I know," Peyton tells her. Nathan had told her that no one knew that Haley had slept with Chris, and she certainly wasn't going to say anything about it. "And...it was a bit of a shock, but it's fine now. I mean, I know Haley's your friend and stuff, but..."

"Yeah, it's a little weird that I'm hanging out with my roommate's ex-husband's new girlfriend," Brooke points out. "But she's hanging out with my almost boyfriend, sort of ex-boyfriend slash her best friend and her ex-husband's brother." She shrugs her shoulder and both girls try to wrap their heads around all that. "So whatever."

"OK, Tree Hill is like, the Bermuda Triangle of relationships," Peyton says with a laugh.

"Oh honey. You have no idea."

"You and Nathan never...?" Peyton asks softly. She doesn't know why she wants to know, and she doesn't know why it'd bother her if he and Brooke had some sordid past. But, she realizes, it definitely would bother her.

"No!" Brooke answers quickly. "No. No...Nathan and I never...No." She starts laughing, and Peyton looks at her like she's crazy. "Nathan and I grew up together. Our parents were friends. When we were in first grade, he beat up a boy for trying to look up my skirt, and that's pretty much been our entire relationship since then."

Peyton lets out a visible sigh of relief, and both girls start laughing.

"He seems pretty into _you_, though," Brooke points out, and Peyton smiles genuinely.

"Yeah, we're...I'm really into him, too," Peyton says.

"You two haven't slept together yet," Brooke states, as though it's so very obvious.

"Oh. We're...we...No, but...We haven't," Peyton stutters, and Brooke laughs softly.

"It's OK," she assures Peyton. "Actually, I think it's good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And not just because I'm basically abstinent right now and want to drag everyone into my misery," Brooke jokes.

"OK, it's time to tell me the entire story about you and Lucas," Peyton insists.

Brooke takes a deep breath and throws her head back, but tells the entire sordid tale, from meeting and 'seducing' him, to them finally becoming a couple, and him cheating on her with one of the other girls on the squad. She tells Peyton all about his sleeping with Nikki - the town's resident teen absentee parent - and the pregnancy scare. She explains how he left town briefly, then they were friends, then she left for the summer, but not before he told her he wanted to be with her. She goes into detail about her plan, that she admits was born from insecurity, to have him prove he wanted to be with her.

Peyton gives advice. Good advice. She tells Brooke to follow her heart and let go of the fear that's telling her not to be with Lucas. If she has feelings for him, than she owes it to herself to find out whether or not they could really be something. But, by the same token, if she's really not sure how she feels about him, or if she feels like he's made one mistake too many, she shouldn't lead him on or let herself settle for something she knows isn't the best for her.

They finally go to bed around 11:30, and Brooke lays in bed, wondering how Nathan has seemed to land the coolest girl in the world. Next to herself, of course.

----

Nathan hears murmurs in the hallway the next day as he's standing at his locker, and he turns his head to see none other than his girlfriend and Brooke Davis walking down the hall together, Starbucks cups in hand. He leans his shoulder against his locker and smirks as they walk towards him.

It's clear that the boys are already smitten with Brooke. He can't say he's surprised by that in the least. It's kind of always been that way.

"OK, I feel like I'm living in an episode of Gossip Girl right now!" Brooke says excitedly. "Seriously, this is like...This is where Brooke Davis belongs."

"I won't argue that," Nathan laughs. "I see you've borrowed Peyton's clothes."

"I am very impressed that you recognize these clothes," Peyton says, glancing at the boots and top Brooke is wearing. It's nothing too out there, just a white button down shirt with a black crested cardigan over top, her own jeans tucked into Peyton's black boots.

Brooke speaks before Nathan can make a comment about those boots and why he remembers them; those are the boots she was wearing the first day they spent outside of school, when she showed him her father's club.

"I always wanted a close friend that had the same shoe size!"

"I know, Brooke," Nathan laughs. "You've been saying that since we were 9."

"Well, I found her," Brooke says, and Peyton laughs as she gathers her books.

"Actually, _I_ found her," Nathan corrects. "We have English, right?"

"Yes, Nathan, we do," Peyton laughs, shaking her head at him. "How do you not know that by now?"

"Are there cute boys in your English class?" Brooke asks as they start down the hall.

"Um...there are a few," Peyton says, and Nathan squeezes her hand, assuming she means him. "Other than you, Nathan."

"Hey!"

"Good," Brooke says. Nathan scowls, and she bumps his hip with her own.

She follows the couple down the hall, and pretends she doesn't see the teenaged boys staring at her. She kind of feels like this is somehow just what it's supposed to be like. Peyton and Nathan as the power couple, and her as their close friend. It's not as though she's the third wheel, and it's not as though any of them are snobby or demanding of other students. They're just popular. Well, Nathan and Peyton are popular. No one knows who the hell Brooke is.

"Oh my God," Brooke whispers as she takes the seat beside Peyton. Nathan is behind Peyton, and he looks up from his books. "Who is that?"

"That's Robbie," Peyton explains. "Basketball. 18. Dad is a lawyer, mom is a surgeon."

"Plastics or general?" Brooke inquires.

"Pediatric." Peyton turns and smiles at Nathan, and he can only shake his head.

"Gorgeous," Brooke whispers, sending the boy a smile. He smiles back, all straight teeth and, if you ask her, perfect lips. He's got a short haircut, not unlike Nathan's, though his is a lighter shade of brown, deep chocolate eyes, and amazing tanned skin.

Lucas, who?

"Stop staring, Davis," Nathan mutters.

"OK, _what_ do I have to do to transfer to this school?" she asks. Peyton just laughs again

"We actually have to learn, Brooke," the blonde reminds her. "I'll introduce you to everyone after my art class."

The teacher starts the lesson, occasionally asking questions Brooke actually knows the answers to, and she smiles to herself every time her answers are proven correct. She keeps her mouth closed, but she really likes Oak Lake. She _really_ likes it.

She watches as Nathan toys with one of Peyton's curls, twirling it around his pen, and Peyton smiles. Brooke tries to remember the last time she saw her childhood friend so genuinely happy. Looking back on the time she's known him, she realizes that maybe he's never been so happy.

Sure, he was happy with Haley for a while, but there was always and underlying sense of...sadness about him. She knows he'd scoff and refute that claim if she ever mentioned it, so she won't. Even the few weeks he was back in Tree Hill after High Flyers, he seemed a little bit lighter; a little happier. As close as she and Haley are now, Brooke knows that his split from his ex had a lot to do with his sudden change in attitude.

And now that she sees him in a stable, healthy relationship as a 'man', she knows that the boy she's known most of her life is definitely one of the most balanced and happy people she knows.

She wants that for herself. She's pretty sure that Lucas doesn't fit into that picture, and not even a day in this town and away from him tells her that.

Nathan squeezes Peyton's shoulder before they stand from their seats at the end of their class, and she blushes at even that subtle touch.

She likes Brooke. She likes that Nathan's not acting any different when Brooke is around.

She likes knowing that what you see is what you get. He's not putting on an act for her. The Nathan who is her boyfriend is the only Nathan there is.

She definitely thinks that's a good thing.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I don't normally ask for reviews. I'm feeling needy today. That, and I only got 6 for the last chapter, so if you'd like to leave a "Hey, I'm alive and still reading" for me, I'll take it...Or any variation of that same sentiment. Actual feedback is coveted! ;)

**----**

They leave their class and go their separate ways, with Nathan heading for the gym for his free period, and Peyton and Brooke going to the art hall. Nathan kisses Peyton before she and Brooke walk away. Brooke clears her throat in a teasing way, and Nathan glowers at her and mumbles _'jealous'_. She sticks her tongue out, and Peyton winks at her boyfriend as the girls start down the hall.

Nathan finds it funny how quickly Peyton and Brooke have clicked, given that they're just about as different as two girls could get. He likes that they hit it off so quickly, but he won't lie - he's realizing quickly that he doesn't want to share Peyton with anyone, no matter how good a friend they might be. Sure, they're still spending a lot of time together, but not having their usual flirtation and conversation between periods is weird and, well, he doesn't like it one bit.

"Who's the hot girl?" Robbie asks as he walks up next to Nathan. Both guys watch the blonde and the brunette walking down the hall.

"Peyton," Nathan replies with a smirk.

"She's not even around, man. Turn that shit off," Robbie jokes. "Seriously. _Who_ is that girl?"

"My close friend Brooke. She's from my hometown," Nathan explains.

"She single?" They start walking down the hall together, and Nathan just shakes his head at the question. It's really funny how most high school boys all think the same things.

"Kind of. Maybe. I don't really know," Nathan says, shrugging his shoulder. "Ask her yourself."

"Dude, I can't just walk up to a girl that gorgeous and ask if she's single," Robbie says seriously.

"Hey!" Matt says breathlessly as he catches up to them. "Who's the brunette I saw with Peyton?"

"His friend. I got dibs," Robbie says firmly.

"You can't 'dibs' a girl," Matt complains.

"I saw her first! She smiled at me," Robbie insists, recalling the glance he shared with the 'new girl' in his English class.

"So! That's..."

"OK, enough," Nathan laughs. "Seriously, you're acting like idiots. Why don't you both talk to her and see who she likes?"

"You're just suggesting that because it'll be funny to watch," Matt says with a furrowed brow.

"Exactly," Nathan says, smirking, and Robbie shakes his head. "And...whatever. Stop acting like chicks. Let's get to the gym."

"Well, if you had to pick one of us for her, who'd you pick?" Robbie asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"This is so stupid," Nathan mutters, running his hand through his hair. "Look, she was asking who you were earlier. Sorry, Matt." Robbie smiles proudly, and Matt just nods his head, conceding defeat. Nathan turns to him. "And besides, aren't you into Ginny?"

"He's been into Ginny since the ninth grade," Robbie laughs.

"Whatever. She's...not interested," Matt says, shrugging his shoulder, though both the other guys know that fact bothers him a little more than he's letting on.

"I'll work it out," Nathan promises. Robbie and Matt look at each other questioningly, wondering what the hell that means. "She's Peyton's best friend. I'm sure I can get some information."

"She'd never give _me_ information," Robbie says, almost pouting.

"You also never made out with her," Nathan points out. He stops in his tracks and looks at both guys. "You never made out with her, right?"

"Dude, no. No way. Princess Peyton is so not my type."

"OK. You?" Nathan asks Matt.

"No," Matt laughs. "Peyton never dated ball players before you. Only artists."

"She didn't know what she was missing," Nathan says confidently, pushing open the door to the gym.

"That's what I said," Robbie says. Both Matt and Nathan stop and look at him. "No! Not me. I mean...not for me. I didn't..."

"Stop talking," Nathan said with a laugh. "I get it."

"And like anyone's gonna mess with your girl," Matt says as he grabs a ball off the rack and passes it to Nathan.

"It's crazy," Nathan says, making a basket from near half court. "I've been here, like, a month, and already everyone treats me like I've been here for years."

"You just keep putting up points like you have been, and it'll stay that way," Robbie promises, catching Nathan's rebound.

"And get me info on Ginny," Matt adds.

"And introduce me to Brooke," Robbie all but begs.

Nathan just stands with his hands on his hips, smiling and shaking his head at his new friends. It really does always come back to the girls. He's just happy he's out of the 'does she or doesn't she' phase with Peyton.

----

Since Brooke is technically Peyton's guest, she follows the blonde to her art class, sitting and admiring the work of the insanely talented students that attend this school. She watches as Peyton paints fine lines on a canvas, watching the artwork come to life before her eyes.

"OK, I feel completely inadequate," Brooke says. She notices that in this class, talking is encouraged. Students mill around and comment on each other's work.

"Whatever," Peyton scoffs. "I'm sure you're the best at something."

"Being rich...and sex," Brooke says jokingly, and they both laugh. "Actually, I...I'm kind of into fashion design."

"Really?" Peyton asks with a smile. "That's awesome."

"Yeah, I guess," Brooke says, shrugging her shoulder.

"Here," Peyton says, reaching for an empty sketch pad and a few coloured pencils. "Let's see what you've got, Davis."

Peyton watches from the corner of her eye as Brooke's hand draws the lines of a dress, effortlessly sketching details in red and black. The girls' eyes meet and they smile at each other. It seems they've got more in common than just Nathan.

"Miss Davis," the teacher, Mrs. Tallinder, says, looking over the brunette's shoulder. "Is this from memory?"

"Oh...I um...it's just something I came up with," Brooke explains as the teacher takes the paper in her hands and looks at the red strapless gown on the page.

"It's beautiful," Mrs. Tallinder states, handing the page back to Brooke. She walks away and Brooke looks at Peyton, smiling widely.

"See?" Peyton says, nudging Brooke with her elbow. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself! You're awesome."

"Can I be honest?" Brooke asks seriously. "I've been here, like, a day, and I already feel a million times better than I do when I'm in Tree Hill." Peyton smiles, and Brooke shakes her head. "I can see why Nathan likes it so much. I mean, aside from having a girlfriend almost as hot as me."

"Almost?" Peyton asks incredulously.

"Like, _so_ close," Brooke teases.

Once their class is over, the girls meet up with Catherine, Claire, and Ginny in the senior cafeteria for lunch. Nathan and the guys have a team meeting at lunch, seeing as it's a game day, so it's just the girls. Brooke fits in immediately, and she and Catherine share shopping tips from all their favourite places in New York, since Brooke traveled there so often with her parents, and Catherine used to live there.

Ginny and Brooke gossiped about Nathan - though there wasn't much Brooke wanted to divulge, and Peyton was thankful for that. Her girlfriends didn't know about Nathan's marriage, and Peyton didn't think it any of their business.

Claire gave the 'scouting report' on the single boys in the school from a not-single girl's perspective.

When Peyton and Brooke catch up with Nathan just before their first class of the afternoon, he's grabbing his things from his locker.

"Well, well," Nathan said, watching the girls approach. "I thought you kidnapped her."

"Me?" Peyton asked. "Or her?"

"You. I don't think anyone could kidnap Brooke Davis," Nathan laughs, and Brooke smiles smugly. "She'd talk them into submission before they even got her in the car."

"Hey!" Brooke interjects, punching Nathan's arm.

"Dammit, Brooke!" He rubs the spot on his arm and Peyton just stands there laughing. "I was going to give you good news, too."

"Good news? What good news?" she asks in confusion.

"Robbie was bugging the hell out of me for information on you," he says, laughing when her eyes light up.

"What'd you tell him!?" she asks excitedly.

"I'm guessing he led with asking if you're single," Peyton said, narrowing her eyes pensively as she grabs her books.

"How did you know that?" Nathan asks her.

"I've known Robbie _so_ long," Peyton says, waving her hand in the air. "It's always his first question."

"Nathan," Brooke hisses, "introduce me!"

"What's the rush? You're staying for the game, right?" Nathan says seriously, closing his locker after grabbing his books for the history class they're going to next.

"I wasn't...I don't want to overstay my welcome," Brooke says softly, shaking her head.

"Don't be crazy! Stay," Peyton insists. "You can meet everyone and come to our post-game gathering."

"A party!?"

"Yeah," Peyton says.

But Nathan knows that Brooke's idea of a party is different than Peyton's. Things at Oak Lake, for the most part, seem a little more low key.

"No," Nathan laughs. "More like hanging out at Matt's place with his parents in the next room."

"Oh," Brooke says. "Well, that still sounds like fun. I mean, if you're sure it's OK."

"Of course, it's OK," Nathan says, taking Peyton's hand in his.

She won't lie. As much as Peyton likes Brooke and this 'friendship' they're starting, even a day of hardly seeing Nathan - well, not seeing him as much as they're used to - is hard. She realizes that maybe it's a good thing. Maybe they need a little subtle space from each other. A little time to miss one another.

But then, his hand holds hers, and his large thumb rubs back and forth against her smaller one, and she can smell that cologne. He's getting encouragement from students in the hall, wishing him luck in their game that night. All she wants to do is be the star player's girlfriend. That's so unlike her.

She's got it bad for this guy.

"Oh, Robbie," Peyton says as they almost bump into him. She's barely able to keep herself from making fun of him.

"Hey, Peyton. Nate," Robbie says, though his eyes are fixed on the beautiful brunette.

"Have you met Brooke?" Peyton asks, though she knows the answer.

"Brooke. Nice to meet you," he says, extending his hand.

"Peyton, we have to talk to Daniels about that paper, right?" Nathan says, tugging his girlfriend towards the door. He almost laughs at the look on Brooke's face, but he and Peyton just leave their friends in the hall to talk.

"You're such a jerk!" Peyton hisses.

"What? I was subtle," Nathan says, though he knows it's a lie.

"Subtle like a freight train," she says as they take their seats. "Robbie needs a bit of a push sometimes, but you just shoved him off the ledge."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Nathan insists. "Brooke's not exactly hard to talk to."

"Still, you totally hung him out to dry, and..."

"Oh. My. God," Brooke says happily as she rushes into the room and takes the empty seat next to Nathan. "Your brother has _nothing_ on that guy!"

"So, are you staying for the game?" Peyton asks with a laugh.

"Are you kidding? I'm _this_ close to calling my parents to send a tuition cheque!" Brooke claims, and Nathan just laughs and shakes his head, opening his textbook to the appropriate page.

He's not sure if Brooke's joking or not, and if he's being honest, having her come to Oak Lake wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Something tells him that she won't - she's cheer captain and class president at Tree Hill High - but he likes that she's seemed to gain a little perspective by being away from home for a little bit.

----

Brooke sits in the stands for the game, next to Ginny. A sprained ankle - the result of a particularly harsh soccer game the day before - forces Ginny not to cheer, and Brooke is thankful for the company. As much as she wants to watch Nathan play again, she wasn't crazy about the idea of sitting there alone in a strange gymnasium.

"Robbie is so into you!" Ginny squeals, loving the new gossip.

The boy had just run past them on his way to the bench, shooting a smile to Brooke and bowing his head when she smiled back.

"He's cute," Brooke says needlessly. It's definitely an understatement.

Matt drives the lane and dunks the ball, and the crowd goes wild as his teammates congratulate him.

Brooke doesn't fail to notice - but doesn't comment on - the way Ginny shouts his name each time he makes a basket. She knows Ginny is single, but she has to wonder why. She's almost as great as Brooke, herself.

"What?" Ginny asks, laughing when she notices Brooke is staring.

"Nothing!" Brooke answers quickly. "I can just tell you're a cheerleader, that's all."

Ginny is about to comment on what exactly that means - she knows it means more than what's on the surface - when Nathan goes in for a lay up, but gets blocked and the ball goes out of bounds.

"Those two?" Brooke says, kinking one brow as she watches Nathan step in front of Peyton to toss the ball inbounds. Peyton calls his name as she cheers, and Nathan smiles to himself before starting the play again.

"I can't even talk about it," Ginny says with a smile. "Seriously, she's never been like this with a guy before."

"He's never really been like this with a girl before, either," Brooke says.

"That's actually...I mean, I can believe that, just because, well...look at him," Ginny says, watching Nathan run up the court and quickly swat Matt's hand with his own. "But it's actually really nice to hear."

"Well, Peyton is awesome," Brooke says, and Ginny just nods and smiles. "She's been so good to me for really no reason."

"What do you mean, no reason?" Ginny asks with a laugh. "You're her boyfriend's friend."

"Well, there's that."

"And she's just like, the most generous girl ever," Ginny says. "It's really no surprise that she took in your wayward ass."

Both girls laugh and Brooke bumps Ginny's shoulder with her own.

They turn their attention back to the court as time is running down, and they watch Nathan pass the ball to Aaron just inside half court, then Nathan drives the lane. The shot clock ticks down during the last ten seconds of the game, and the ball is in Robbie's hands as he looks for an open teammate.

Nathan spins away from his defender, takes the pass, and dunks the ball with a move that looks so damn good it could be on ESPN.

The crowd goes crazy and rushes the court, and Peyton just watches as Nathan receives adoration from the fans of the game. She's been the first one in his arms after the last couple games, but after that show he just put on, she's kind of in awe. He looks through the crowd and sees her standing there, pompoms at her hip and a smile on her face, and he nods to her before he's swept away in the crowd.

That nod was pretty damn sexy.

She heads to the locker room and changes into her street clothes - just jeans and a black sweater (one that she knows Nathan loves) - and when she steps out into the hallway again, she sees Ginny, Claire, Catherine, and Brooke laughing with one another.

"She's here a day, and you already like her better than me?" Peyton teases.

"Only a little, I swear," Claire promises.

"You looked good out there, Peyton. You have one hell of a high kick," Brooke says.

"Spoken like a true cheer captain," Peyton laughs.

"So what's the deal?" Claire asks. "Are we waiting for the guys, or are we just heading over to Matt's? Jean and Gary will let us in."

"I say wait," Ginny says.

"Me too," Peyton echoes.

"I'm gonna go with the crowd on this, since I have absolutely no idea what's really going on," Brooke says and they all laugh again.

Matt and Robbie exit the boys' locker room ten minutes later with their street clothes on and their bags slung over their shoulders. They join the girls and receive congratulations for their win and compliments about their play, and, always the humble boys, they each say a thank you and try to brush off the comments.

"Dammit," Peyton mumbles as she looked through her bag.

"He's just showering. He'll be out in a minute," Robbie says teasingly, making everyone laugh.

"You're a jerk," Peyton says, narrowing her eyes. "I left my keys...somewhere."

"Go check the locker room. We'll wait," Claire promises. "They have to be around somewhere."

"OK. I'll be right back," Peyton says, turning on her heel.

She walks down the hallway back towards the lock room, and when she steps inside, she quickly looks around, cursing herself when she doesn't see her keys anywhere. She checks where she was sitting, and the surrounding areas, but she has no luck.

She angrily pulls the door open and stomps into the hall. Maybe her keys are in her locker, though she's not really sure why - she never leaves them in there. Clearly, however, they aren't anywhere she thought they'd be. It's been a bit of a crazy day, and she wouldn't be surprised if she got distracted and ended up leaving them in there.

She's walking past the door to the boys' locker room when someone grabs her arm and pulls her through the door. She's pressed up against the door as soon as it's closed, and her breathing is ragged, since Nathan just scared the hell out of her.

"Hi," he says with a smirk, looking down at her.

"You scared me," she says softly. She's finding it kind of hard to focus anything when he's pressed against her like that.

"Sorry."

"It's weird in here," she points out. She's obviously never been in the boys' locker room before - Nathan's happy to hear that - and it's surprisingly different from the girls' one across the hall.

"No it's not," he counters. "Today has sucked."

"What?" she laughs. "Your friend is here, you kicked ass on that quiz we got back, and you played an amazing game."

"I haven't gotten to kiss you."

"Oh. Well, I guess that's true," she says with a smile, toying with the fabric of the shirt he wears. "But a sweaty locker room isn't exactly setting the mood."

"Can we send Brooke away so you can spend the night at my place?" he asks. His hands are squeezing her hips a little, and his thumb moves idly every now and again, and that all feels pretty damn good.

Suddenly, she's wondering the same thing.

"Maybe she'll spend the night with Robbie instead of crashing at mine," she says. She drapes her arms over his shoulders, and he just steps a little closer to her.

He doesn't respond to her, he just leans down and kisses her like he's wanted to all day. Well, since the day before. Probably since he met her. He's missed kissing her. It's ridiculous, and totally girly for him to think something like that, but it's true. He's missed it; the feeling of her body against his and her hands running through his hair as he presses his lips to hers.

"Nathan," she says breathlessly. "They're waiting."

"Don't care," he says, his lips finding the hinge of her jaw. She takes a sharp breath and moves her head to the side.

"We have to go," she tells him.

He drops his head to her shoulder and loosens his grip on her. She kind of hates that. Sure, she likes that he's so desperate to kiss her and touch her, but they've been getting closer and closer to actually sleeping together, and every time she kisses him, she feels like she might just give in. It's kind of been that way since the beginning.

And tonight, they have somewhere to be, and Brooke to entertain.

"Sorry," she says.

"For what?" he asks, his brow furrowed as he takes a step back.

"For...I don't really know," she admits, and he laughs and kisses her one last time.

"I found these," he says, pulling her keys from his picket.

"Nate!" she shouts. "Thank you! Where?"

"You left them on your desk after English and I forgot to give them to you," he says. She leans up, her body pressing against his, and kisses him again.

"Thanks," she whispers.

"Get out of here," he demands, stepping away from her completely and walking over to his spot - his name on the placard - to grab his bag.

"It's kind of growing on me," she jokes, putting a hand on her hip.

"Well, unless you want to get yourself into trouble, you need to get the hell out of here," he says with a laugh. "Go."

"What if someone sees?" she asks worriedly.

"Then they know we were making out. No big deal," he says, draping his arm over her shoulder as he pulls the door open and steps out. "It's normal."

"You make out with girls in locker rooms often?" she asks as they start down the hall.

"You're the first," he tells her. It's similar to that first night on the gardening shed, when he'd asked her if she ever took anyone else up there. He kind of likes that they both saved those firsts, as silly as it is.

They round the corner and see their group of friends still waiting, with Matt telling a no doubt ridiculous story about something or another - the guy always has a story to tell - and everyone else laughing. There are a few more of the guys on the team there, now, since they're also heading to Matt's house.

"Well, well," Ginny says. "Thought you got kidnapped."

"I kind of did," Peyton mumbles, and Nathan squeezes her shoulder.

"You find your keys?" Brooke asks.

"Yes, I did," Peyton says, knowing that Nathan will hate that she's taking the credit for his discovery. Every single cell in that boy's body is competitive. "Are we going, or what?"

"We were waiting for you!" Catherine laughs. "We've got rides all sorted out. Girls with Peyton, guys with Nathan. Any extras can ride with me."

"How long'd it take you to come up with that plan?" Nathan asks as they start towards the door. Everyone laughs as Catherine throws Nathan a playful scowl.

They spend their evening in Matt's media room, watching Rudy - it was the boys' turn to pick the movie - and drinking soda, consuming countless bags of chips and candy. It's like their very own movie theater. Peyton sits curled into Nathan's side, and he's the only one who notices that she cries when Rudy was being carried off the field. He just pulls her a little closer and kisses the top of her head.

Brooke and Robbie hit it off, and whisper to one another throughout the whole movie. He shares his gummy bears with her - something everyone else knows was a huge deal, since they're his favourite treat - and she coyly tucks her hair behind her ear every now and again.

It's after midnight when they say their goodbyes and all go their separate ways. Peyton has to drop Ginny and Claire off before she and Brooke go back to her place for the night, and the two of them gossip about the boys - like the teenage girls they are - for a few minutes in Peyton's room before they retire for the night.

The next morning, they grab breakfast and drive over to hang out with Nathan before Brooke heads back to Tree Hill. She's stayed two nights longer than she'd planned for, and she really needs to get back. Though she's texted Haley to let her know she's OK, she really does have to go home to all the drama at some point.

She's sure Haley's not going to be too impressed to learn that Brooke visited Nathan.

Between Nathan and Brooke, they decide it would be better for Haley not to know right away that he's dating someone new. It's not that he's ashamed of his relationship - of course he isn't, and he tells Peyton so - he just doesn't want to give Haley any reason to call him. He knows she would.

"Thank you so much, Peyton," Brooke says sincerely. "You were like, way beyond nice to me."

"It's no problem," Peyton says as the two girls hug. "Any time you come back, you're welcome to stay at my place."

"She's amazing," Brooke states firmly as she moves to Nathan and he wraps her in a hug.

"I know," he says, winking at his girlfriend over Brooke's shoulder.

"OK," Brooke sighs, pulling her keys from her bag again. "Back to reality."

"You've got two hours to reality," Nathan says. "Just do what's right for you, Davis."

"Kind of like you are?" she asks with a knowing smile. "I'll see you soon. Thanks again, you guys."

She opens her car door, climbs into the drivers seat and turns the key. They all say goodbye, and Nathan and Peyton wave as Brooke drives away.

"We need to make out," he says, as though it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Peyton can only laugh as he reaches for her hand and tugs her back towards his apartment.

Truthfully? She's been kind of thinking the same thing.


	10. Chapter 10

Peyton knocks nervously on Nathan's apartment door one day after school the following week.

And she never knocks. She's nervous, she realizes, and she kind of likes it. It's like in the beginning - well, they're kind of still in the beginning - when every thought of seeing him gave her butterflies.

But this is different. She's got something in her hands that she's absolutely terrified to give him, but she just needs to.

He's shirtless when he answers the door. Great. That'll make this easier. He drapes his towel over his shoulders and smirks at her.

"Why'd you knock?" he asks curiously. "You never knock."

"I dunno," she says, shrugging her shoulder. "Why are you half-naked?"

"I'm always half-naked," he says, and they both laugh. It's kind of true. The boy hates wearing shirts. She's not complaining; not when he's got a body like that.

She leans up to peck his lips quickly, well, what she intends to be quickly. He grabs onto her hip and pulls her closer, and her hand clumsily falls to his sweaty chest.

There are the butterflies.

She's breathless when they part, and he grins in accomplishment, like that's exactly what he set out to do.

"Hi," he murmurs, brushing his lips against hers gently.

"Hi."

He chuckles, because he so loves to see her all flustered. She looks all sexy when her cheeks are pink and her eyes are sparkling like that, like they always do after a really good kiss.

"I um...Do you have a shirt?" she asks. She's so distracted, it's not even funny. He just smirks at her. "I'm serious. Put something on."

"I was working out," he says, gesturing to the boxing dummy in the corner of the room. She's always thought that thing was creepy.

She raises her eyebrow, and he rolls his eyes and disappears down the hall into his bedroom, emerging moments later with a black tee shirt covering his torso. He grabs a bottle of Gatorade from the fridge and stands across from where she's sitting at the counter.

"I brought you something," she says.

"Really?" he asks in surprise.

"Yeah. And if you don't like it, you can...I dunno...burn it or something," she says, laughing nervously. "But...you have an empty frame in your bedroom, and I had some extra time, so...I did this."

She reaches for the tube where she'd set it, leaning against the stool she's perched on, and she pulls out a painting, unrolling it slowly.

His eyes go wide, and he smiles, looking between her and the painting.

It's him in his uniform, sitting on the bench in a darkened gym, with his elbows on his knees and a towel resting over his thigh. It's the way he always sits when he's on the bench. The detail is shocking. He can make out the parquet of the gym floor, and the beads of sweat on his forehead.

He had no idea she was _that_ good.

"You did this?" he asks needlessly. She nods her head, and he shakes his. "It's awesome."

"You like it?" she asks quietly.

"Babe, I love it," he says. He walks around the counter, and she sets the painting on the surface. He cups her cheeks with his hands and kisses her gently. "Thank you."

"I'm just glad you don't hate it," she laughs.

"How could I? _You_ did it," he says, and she rolls her eyes. "And I mean, the subject is pretty awesome."

"Humble," she laughs. "I can mount it for you." He raises one eyebrow and smirks at her as he crosses his arms over his chest. "The painting, perv."

"I can't believe you did this," he says, looking to the portrait again. "I mean that in like, a - I can't believe you'd do that for me - way."

"Not a - you thought I just drew in colouring books with crayons - way?" she teases.

"Come on," he says taking her hand. "You can mount it."

"The painting?" she asks seductively. He groans and throws his head back, then glares at her. She just shrugs her shoulder.

And she wonders why they're still waiting. It still feels right to wait - most of the time, anyway - she's just not sure how long it'll be that way. Not long, she knows. She knows that for a fact.

Nathan lays on his bed, propped up on one elbow as she reaches for the frame and starts framing the painting. She explains that she saw the frame that first weekend she stayed over, and how weird it was that he had just an empty frame sitting in his bedroom. He tells her that it was there when he moved in, and he realizes for the first time that even that's a little weird.

There's a knock at the door just as she's held up the finished product, and she rests the painting against the wall before they walk down the hall to answer the door.

Peyton grabs a bottle of water as Nathan gets the door, and they're both just assuming it's one of the guys, or one of the girls looking for Peyton.

But it's not.

"Well, well. If it isn't my dear brother," Nathan says sarcastically.

Peyton tenses immediately and looks towards Nathan. She almost smiles when she sees how strong he's standing, and how he's seemingly unaffected by this surprise visit.

"Can I come in?" Lucas requests.

"If I ask you not to, you'll probably do it anyway, won't you?" Nathan says, walking back into the apartment. Peyton walks towards her boyfriend so there's only a few feet of space separating them. "I mean, based on past experience."

Nathan tries to smile at Peyton as Lucas shuts the door behind him, but he's too mad and surprised to really accomplish the task. She shoots him a nervous look, and he winks at her, and that somehow puts her at ease. She lets herself take a moment to think how sweet it is that he's reassuring her, even when he's probably just barely keeping his emotions in order.

"Oh," Lucas mutters when he sees the third party in the room.

"This is Peyton," Nathan says before turning to his girlfriend. "Peyton, this is my lying jerk of a brother."

"Well, at least you're referring to me as your brother," Lucas says in an attempt to break the tension.

"That just makes it easier for people to take my side when I tell them what you did," Nathan points out.

"Nathan, I'm gonna go," Peyton says quietly, placing her hand on his bicep.

"No," he insists gently. "You don't have to. He will."

"It's OK..." She shakes her head as she speaks, but he cuts her off.

"Stay," he says quietly, locking eyes with her. "Please."

She knows she's not going anywhere. His tone is pleading, like he might just need her to stay and talk to him after whatever happens, happens. She won't leave him if his request means what she thinks it did. She nods her head and he finally manages to smile at her.

"Lucas, what the hell are you doing here?" Nathan asks.

"Look, Haley needs you, man," Lucas says pleadingly.

Nathan doesn't like the way Lucas is leering at Peyton when he thinks the brunette isn't looking. Lucas may not know that Peyton is Nathan's girlfriend, but she's a girl alone with him at his apartment, and that alone should tell Lucas to back off. Nathan knows his brother is still pining over Brooke, based on the texts and updates she's sent him, and he's probably only looking at Peyton to try to figure out who she is in all this. He doesn't need another reason to be mad at Lucas, but he thinks this is a pretty good one. He's said it before - people should know better than to mess with his girl.

"Haley should have thought of that before she screwed Chris Keller," Nathan says, crossing his arms over his chest.

Peyton moves to stand behind Nathan a little bit. She's seen him angry before, but not this angry, and she's starting to understand even more why he left Tree Hill. If this is indicative of the relationship he has with his brother, she can see why he doesn't want to deal with it.

"They aren't even together!" Lucas shouts. "She's miserable without you, Nate."

"Yeah? Well she brought that on herself," Nathan says calmly. "And I'm really _not_ miserable without her."

Peyton places her hand on his back between his shoulder blades, and he takes a relaxing breath. She doesn't smile, but she wants to. She likes that she can soothe him.

"Will you just call her?" Lucas pleads.

"No," Nathan says bitterly, shaking his head. "Tell her to call Chris if she needs a shoulder to cry on."

"Honestly, you're being a dick right now," Lucas says.

And it's all Peyton can do not to stick up for her boyfriend. She doesn't know Lucas, but she's heard stories. While Nathan may have been the 'bad' brother when he was younger, he certainly seems to be the good one now.

"You know what, Luke? You wanna stick up for Saint Haley? Maybe you should get your facts straight," Nathan points out.

"What does that mean?"

"Ask her about Jackson," he says.

"What...?" Lucas says, shaking his head.

"Talk to Haley," Nathan says, cutting him off. "And just so you know, she can't make eye contact if she's lying."

Nathan knows damn well that no one else knows about her 'affair'. He didn't tell anyone, and she was thankful for that, but it's time for the truth to come out. Everyone thinks he's the bad guy who walked away, and that Haley only shared a confused kiss with Chris. No one knows it was so much more than that.

Nathan's sick of being the jerk in the situation to protect a girl who didn't care enough about his heart to be faithful to him.

"What does that _mean_!?" Lucas shouts.

"It means that I walked in on her and Chris!" Nathan roars, and Lucas' face changes to one of complete shock. "When I drove to freaking Mississippi to fight for our marriage, she was in bed with Chris."

"Nathan..."

"So now you know why it was so easy to sign the papers and leave her behind," Nathan says. Peyton rubs a circle on his back, and he somehow knows that's a silent show of gratitude that he _did_ leave.

"Look, will you just call her? Just...even to tell her how you're doing?" Lucas requests quietly, still unable to really grasp that his best friend cheated on her husband.

"You can tell her," Nathan says with a shrug of his shoulders. "I love it here. I'm the leading scorer on my team, and I'm with someone new. At least I had the decency to wait until the annulment went through," he adds as an afterthought.

Lucas lets out a sigh and looks to Peyton once more as she slips her hand into Nathan's.

"Will you at least tell her yourself that you're moving on?"

"_Have_ moved on," Nathan corrects. "And no. Cutting ties with Haley was probably the smartest thing I've ever done."

Lucas shakes his head again and starts walking towards the door. He turns around just after he places his hand on the doorknob, and he gives his brother one last look.

"Are you ever gonna let me off the mat for last year?" Lucas asks.

"I don't know, Luke," Nathan says seriously.

"We have to play each other in the tournament in a few weeks, right? Maybe I'll see you then," Lucas says.

Nathan knows he means that maybe they'll hang out when neither of them are playing, or that they can have a conversation or a meal.

"You will. I'll be the one kicking your ass on the court and pushing for State," Nathan says. He feels Peyton squeeze his hand, and he resists the urge to smile.

Lucas walks out without another word, and as soon as the door is closed, Nathan lets out a long breath. He turns to Peyton and takes both her hands in his, and she's smiling at him. She's _proud_ of him. He's so much stronger than a boy of 17 should be.

And he's totally sexy when he's putting people in their place.

"I'm sorry," he says, shaking his head. "I shouldn't have made you stay for that."

"It's OK," she insists. "Someone had to be here to call 911 if you kicked his ass."

"Been there, done that," he mumbles. "It's no fun to beat someone when you know they don't even have a chance against you."

She laughs and shakes her head, and he moves one hand to her hip.

"You're bigger than him," she points out. He smiles down at her. "And _so_ much stronger." She leans up to kiss the hinge of his jaw. "And _way_ sexier."

"Yeah?" he asks, pulling her a little closer.

"I love it when you lose your temper," she says, and he chuckles a little and brushes a lock of hair from her face. No girl has ever said that to him before. That's probably why he likes this one so much.

"If you say I'm a better ball player than him, I'm not letting you walk out that door tonight," he says, his voice low as his lips graze the shell of her ear. He feels her hand run through the hair at the back of his neck.

She knows what she's getting herself into. She knows that if she says the words, they're sleeping together.

And that's exactly why she says them.

"You're the best ball player I've ever seen," she tells him, looking up at him through her eyelashes. It's not a lie, and she's sure he knows that.

He doesn't question it, anyway. He just grips her a little tighter, and leans down to kiss her, immediately groaning when she presses herself against him. She's standing on her toes, as close to him as she can get, with her arms wrapped desperately around his neck.

He holds her tightly, and she laughs a little when he lifts her off the ground and starts walking towards his bedroom. He closes the door behind them, and she turns her back to him, trying to regain just a little bit of her composure. She runs her hand through her hair, and she feels Nathan's hands on her hip, and his chest pressed against her back.

And he's never wanted - _needed_ - a girl as much as he needs Peyton right now. They've waited, and it's been great, and they're stronger than they would have been otherwise.

But it's time to get on with things.

He's absolutely crazy about her, and as he somehow - she's impressed - unbuttons her sweater from behind while he kisses her neck, he realizes that no girl has ever felt like this.

She turns in his arms, and she's wearing only her jeans and a little white tank top. She's always wearing those little white tank tops, and he loves them. They're sexy. To the point where if he can see the outline of one of them beneath her white Oxford shirt at school, his heart (and mind) races a bit. He's had to re-read notes far too often after getting lost in thought about her in those little tank tops.

But just because he loves it, that doesn't mean he doesn't want it off her immediately. He breaks their kiss and pulls the fabric up over her head, and they both smile before he kisses her again.

It's stupid and trivial, but all she can think, as he lays her down and unzips her jeans, is that it's a school night. She's obviously not leaving, which means she's sleeping there, which means that she'll have to wake up early to go home and change. Of course, it doesn't really matter, but until he's kissing up the inside of her thigh, it's the only rational thought she has.

And then there are no more rational thoughts.

He pulls his tee shirt over his head, and she pushes down his shorts, and then he lays atop her, both of them breathless. He doesn't kiss her like they're both maybe expecting, he just hovers above her and brushes the hair from her face.

"You're so beautiful," he says, looking down at her.

"Nathan..."

"Shut up and let me say it," he says, leaning down to kiss her as she laughs. "I know you like that I don't say things like that, but...God, it's _true_." She's blushing, and he knows it's not just that she's red-faced because of what they've been doing. "And you have absolutely no clue, do you?"

"Stop it," she pleads.

"Not until you believe it," he says. He kisses her again, and her hands run up his back.

He pulls away and looks at her with a raised brow, and she's positive that he won't give her what she wants - needs, even - until she tells him she believes him. She shifts her hips beneath him, and he takes a sharp breath, but just shakes his head at her.

"Nathan, please," she whispers.

He can't say he hates the way she's almost begging him.

It's a flurry after that. All clothing shed, and roaming hands, and kisses that mean a lot more than any they've shared before. He treats her delicately, but not too much so. She's a little more forward and he'd expected, though maybe he should have expected it. And it's not like he's complaining.

And all he can think is that it's never been like this. Not even just physically, though certainly that, too. He just feels like she understands every single thing about him without him having to explain a thing.

He lays there, with her sleeping in his arms - he finds it hilarious that she fell asleep right afterward, and he's the one laying awake and wanting to cuddle - and he replays their evening. How did they get here? He kind of doesn't care. He just cares that she's amazing, and she was amazing, and that no one has ever made him feel the way he just felt.

"Peyton," he murmurs softly, trailing his hand up and down her bare side.

"Hmm."

"You should wake up, babe," he tells her, chuckling softly when she buries her face in his chest.

"Why?" Her hold on him tightens, and she presses against him a bit, and he intertwines their fingers to keep his own hand from getting them in trouble.

"Because it's only 9:30, and you'll be awake at like, 3:00 if you fall asleep right now," he says.

"You looking out for me?" she asks cutely, letting her southern drawl come out in her speech.

They both know he loves it when she does that.

"Of course," he whispers, kissing her forehead as she looks up at him. "That, and I skipped dinner, and I'm starving."

"Ulterior motives," she grumbles, rolling away from him.

She's covered only by a thin navy blue sheet, and her bare shoulders are in plain view. He moves so he's close to her again, resting his hand on her hip and kissing her bare skin. He smirks when she lets out a little sound, she rests her hand atop his.

"OK. Getting up," she says, making him laugh.

"Sure. Agree to get out of bed _now_," he mumbles, rolling away from her.

She turns so she's laying on her back, and she watches him stand from the bed.

"Hmm," she hums in contentment.

"What?" he asks, reaching for a pair of shorts. He's not even looking at her, but he can _tell_ she's looking at him.

"You have_ the best_ ass," she tells him. He lets out a soft laugh and shakes his head. "I'm serious. It's perfect."

"Yours isn't so bad, either," he says, pinning her to the bed once he's got his shorts on again.

"OK, I have to ask," she says as he brushes her side, pushing the sheet down slightly.

"What?"

"Was that really as amazing as I think it was?" she inquires.

He smiles at her, rests a little more weight on her, and he leans down to kiss her.

"Oh, hell yeah," he says in a low voice. "Best."

"And just how many girls have you said that to?" she asks.

"Just you."

"Really?" She's surprised, and he doesn't know why he isn't insulted by that.

"How many girls do you think I'd say it to?" he asks with a chuckle.

"Honestly? All of them," she says, scrunching her face as she waits for his reaction.

"You make me sound like a bit of a...I'm not that guy," he tells her needlessly. She wraps her arms around his neck and brings him closer so she can kiss him again. "And there haven't been _that_ many."

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

"It's OK. You know who I am," he tells her. He feels like that's the most honest thing he's ever said. "Now, why don't you follow my sweet ass into the kitchen, and we'll have some food?"

She pecks his lips quickly and he stands again, walking from the room. She gets up and reaches for the white Oxford he'd worn that day, pulling it over her shoulders and fastening the buttons. Well, most of the buttons.

She glanced at the clock, though Nathan had only minutes earlier told her the time, and she pulled her curls up into a haphazard bun.

She has a feeling in the pit of her stomach. It isn't a bad feeling, by any means. It's more a feeling of almost...fullness. Almost contentment. Definitely happiness.

She feels like she could fall for this boy.

She feels like maybe she already is.

"You coming, or what?" Nathan calls to her playfully.

"God, you're demanding," she says as she steps into the kitchen. He looks at what she is - or isn't - wearing, and smiles. "Omelet? Nice."

"I'm no chef, but I can feed my girl," he says, draping his arm around her shoulder and kissing her temple. "And now, see, the problem about you wearing this shirt is that it'll never look the same."

"Shut up," she scoffs, waving her hand in the air.

She goes to the fridge, knowing there's some fruit in there that had caught her eye earlier, and she doesn't hear him come up behind her. He lifts the bottom of the shirt with his hand, and she spins around quickly, her jaw dropped.

"Yup. Amazing ass," he says, smirking wolfishly.

"You're such a guy!" she cries, shoving his chest. He reaches for her wrist and pulls her against him to kiss her. "Don't burn my omelet."

He rolls his eyes and goes back to the task at hand, and she unabashedly checks him out as he stands there, shirtless and tending to their food.

She hoists herself up onto the counter next to the stove, her knee brushing his hip as they stand as close as they can get. She pops a grape into her mouth, and he looks to the bowl in her hands. She reaches over and he opens his mouth, and he winks at her as she feeds him a grape.

She's never really done this before, she realizes. She and Julian didn't really have sleepovers. Of course, they both lived with their parents, so that was an inhibitor, but they'd never even really shared a lazy morning (or evening, in this case) or anything akin to what she does with Nathan. She doesn't think Julian ever cooked for her, and he would have looked at her like she was nuts if she tried to toss a grape into his mouth.

Nathan is different, and he keeps doing things to remind her of that. She likes it.

He reaches for two plates and serves up their food, and he simply passes her a plate and a fork, and he stands next to her as they dig in.

"Oh my God," she says with her mouth full. "So good!"

"Yeah?"

"Hmm," she mumbles as she swallows. "Amazing."

"My uncle...he's a bit of a cook," he says.

"The same uncle that made you crash a race car?" she asks with a raised brow.

"He didn't _make_ me do it."

"He didn't _stop_ you, either," she says, and he lets out a laugh, nodding in agreement. "I want to meet him."

"He'll be scared of you," he says, and she scowls and gently pokes his bicep with her fork, making him laugh. "And you just want to meet him because he's _Cooper Lee_."

"No," she insists quickly. "I want to meet him because he's your family."

"Says the girl who's never even had me over to her house," Nathan says. He says it like a challenge, and they both know she won't back down.

It's not that she doesn't want to take him there, it's just that he's got his own place and they have more privacy. But he's right. It's about time he see where she lives. It's just her house and it's not a big deal, and she's not hiding anything from him. She certainly doesn't want him to think she is.

"This weekend," she tells him. "Saturday. Come over."

He smiles at her, and leans over to kiss her. "OK."

"My dad's away, but..."

"Actually," he interrupts, "I'm good with that."

"Nathan, he knows I'm dating you," she says with a laugh.

"Does he know you're in my kitchen right now, wearing only my shirt and eating eggs before we go back to my bedroom?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, considering _I _didn't know we were going back to the bedroom...," she teases. "Seriously. My dad's cool. And I'm sure he's already done a background check, and if he saw anything he didn't like, he'd probably tell me to stop seeing you." She notes the slightly scared look on his face. "Which he hasn't."

"I'm not really sure if you're joking," he says.

"I kind of am," she says. "He probably _has_ done a check. But...what dad wouldn't do that if they had the resources?"

"You're freaking me out," he states. She rolls her eyes and sets her plate down before taking his from his hands.

"Nathan," she starts, tugging him closer. He stands between her knees, and she drapes her arms over his shoulders. "It's fine. He's fine. He's OK with us. His exact words were _'I'm happy you're dating a real man, and not some artsy film kid again'_."

"He said I'm a real man?" he asks with a smirk.

"Mhmm. But you know," she says seductively, trailing her index finger down his chest, "I might need some convincing."

"Really?" he asks dryly.

She shrugs one shoulder and locks eyes with him. "Couldn't hurt."

He sweeps her off the counter, forcing her to lock her legs around his waist, and kisses her the entire way back to his bedroom.

Yeah. She's definitely falling.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** I posted a new NP Oneshot (a long one, just so you're warned) called The Something's So Familiar. Feel free to check it out.

**----**

Nathan isn't the kind of boy who watches girls sleep. He's the kind of boy who wakes them up and either tells them to go home, or tells them that he wants them again. They always do whatever he says.

OK, so maybe that's not so true anymore. Maybe he's not quite that boy anymore. He hasn't been that boy for a while.

He's watching Peyton sleep. He's been doing it for 20 minutes, since his alarm went off. She hadn't even stirred. She's wearing...well, nothing. She's breathing steadily, and every so often, she'll change her position completely. She's effectively destroyed his bed - something he knew from the other times she's slept over, she'd do - and he knows he'll have to come home after school and make his bed. It's a chore he despises. He doesn't care.

She opens one eye after a while and looks at him, before rolling away from him.

"It's early," he says.

"Exactly," she mumbles.

"I have to get to practice."

"'Kay."

"You gonna stay here?" he asks, peppering her shoulder with kisses.

"Need clothes."

"Then you need to get up," he says softly, and she rolls onto her back again. She looks up at him with an absolutely adorable expression on her face, and he rests his hand over her stomach, moving his thumb idly. She adores that, and he knows it.

"Time?"

"5:45."

"5:45?!" she almost shouts.

"Practice is at 6:15," he explains.

"Ugh." She moves closer to him and burrows herself against his body, and he can only laugh. "Why did you have to seduce me on a school night?"

"You threw yourself at me," he says, smirking in amusement. "I just didn't push you away."

"I didn't throw myself."

"Did too. You knew what you were getting into."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't," he says, placing a kiss to the top of her head. "I gotta get up."

"No!" she says, holding him tighter.

"Babe, if I miss practice, you won't have anyone to cheer for in the game on Friday. I gotta get up."

She lets him go, and he rolls away from her, standing from the bed and walking to the dresser for clothes. He pulls on his practice shorts and a tee shirt, then grabs his bag and drops his uniform in the bottom. She knows he showers at school after practice, and when she sees him toss that cologne she loves into his bag, she smiles. He winks at her, and she turns away from him, hoping that simple action will keep her from wrapping her arms around him and begging him to stay with her until the last possible second.

"Peyton, you should get up," he says with a chuckle.

"I should. You shouldn't be a ball player. Then you wouldn't have practice, and you could stay here and we could make out until we had to go to school."

He groans and she giggles. This is the only time in his entire life when he's ever really, _really_ considered quitting the game for good. She's a temptress, that much he knows.

He moves to the bed and lays on top of her again, and she inhales quickly.

"Baby, if I stayed here, we wouldn't just be making out," he says gruffly. She moans, and it's his turn to laugh.

He stands up and pulls the sheet away, hoping to get her out of bed.

That move was a mistake.

"How's that working out for you?" she asks seductively, raising one eyebrow and placing one hand behind her head.

"This is a cute little argument, but get the hell up," he demands. God, he can hardly function when his girlfriend is laying naked in his bed, essentially asking him to start something they both know he shouldn't. Can't. "I can't...I'm gonna be late, and...Just get up."

She stands up and reaches for the sheet from his hand, wrapping it loosely around herself before leaning up to kiss him.

"Wait here. I'll be out in a minute."

She's disappeared into the bathroom before he can kiss her again, and while he's pretty sure that's a good thing, he _really_ wanted to kiss her again.

She steps out of the bathroom a few minutes later in the clothes she arrived in the night before, but Nathan isn't in the bedroom. She furrows her brow, smiles over the disheveled bed (Nathan told her that never has he met a girl who was that mobile in her sleep, and how cute he thinks it is), and then walks to the kitchen.

He's standing at the counter, mixing a protein shake, and she's thankful that he at least waited until she was awake to start the blender.

"I told you to wait," she says, placing one hand on her hip. She tries to be serious, but he can tell she's not, and he just shakes his head at her.

"Here," he says, pushing a glass with a pink concoction towards her.

"I don't need that crap you drink," she says, pointing to the plastic bottle of whatever supplement he always adds to his shakes.

"Yours is just a fruit smoothie," he tells her.

"Really? You made me something special?"

"That surprise you?"

"Kind of. I mean, I thought it was sweet that I was going to bring you a coffee after your practice," she says. He leans over the counter and kisses her, then looks at her with his puppy dog eyes. "Yes, I'll still bring you a coffee."

She takes a sip and lets out an appreciative noise, and he smiles at her. It's almost surprising, she thinks, how comfortable they are with one another. Not that they were ever uncomfortable, not since the first day they met, but she wonders how it's so easy. They just slept together for the first time, and it's not awkward. She doesn't feel like they need to talk about it, or dwell on it. She realizes quickly that their waiting has everything to do with that, and that had they slept together that first time she stayed over, things would have been very different the next morning.

She's really enjoying this comfort.

"I'm gonna go," she says, setting the glass on the counter.

"OK," he says, almost sadly, she notes.

She reaches for her her phone, wallet and keys, and he grabs her wrist gently before she can move towards the door.

"Peyton, last night was..."

"Yeah," she whispers when he doesn't finish. "I know."

"I'll see you at school?"

"Yeah. I'll be the one in the plaid skirt and white shirt," she says, throwing a smile his way.

"Cute."

"I thought so. See you later," she says, kissing him quickly before she walks out the door.

He's left wondering how his 'not a morning person' girlfriend is suddenly so chipper in the morning. He lets himself believe that he has everything to do with it.

He finishes his shake and grabs his things, and he's at the school just in time to start practice. He doesn't miss the look he gets from his coach, telling him that if he'd been just a few minutes later, he would have been in serious trouble. If his coach only knew about the blonde girl who'd been standing in Nathan's kitchen, he may not be so quick with the admonishing glances.

"Hey man," Robbie says as he and Matt walk up to Nathan. "You're late."

"I'm not late! Jeez. You're worse than Coach," Nathan says.

"Defensive. You're just usually here before anyone," Matt points out.

"Yeah, well I'm not today."

"You alright? You seem weird," Robbie asks.

"I'm fine!" Nathan insists. "Let's just get to work."

He has no idea what's making them think he's different. Is Peyton really in his head that much? He wouldn't doubt it. He hadn't thought so, but since everyone - OK, two friends - seem to notice the change, maybe it's true. And sure, he hasn't stopped thinking about her all morning, but that's really no change, is it?

Hell yes, it's a change. These are different thoughts. Memories of moments from the night before, and they aren't helping his focus at all. Her laugh and the way she felt beneath him. He swears he can still smell her - that little bit of vanilla mixed in with something sweet.

He's completely lost in her, and he really wants to hate that. He really does. But he'd be crazy to.

But then, as soon as the ball was in his hands, he's thankful that most of his thoughts of her fade away. As long as he's in the game, he can forget all those little moments he's had with her. He tosses the ball and throughout the entire practice, he only misses once. He finishes a monster dunk that has his teammates clapping, and his coach smiling and shaking his head, and Nathan thinks that's where he's grown most in the last year.

The game. He's always loved it. He's always been good at it. Now it's _his_. He's cut ties with his father, and he doesn't have to worry about Lucas or anyone else. It's his game, and his talent, and what he does with it is all up to him.

So he's going to do as much with it as his talent and drive and determination will let him.

"OK. I take it back," Robbie says once they're back in the locker room. "Not weird." Nathan laughs and throws his things into his locker. "You were a beast out there."

"Just energized, I guess," Nathan says nonchalantly.

"Yeah? Well I just heard Coach say that there are two scouts coming this Friday. He wouldn't say who they're coming for, but I'd put money on you," Robbie says.

"Hey. Any one of these guys has a shot and is worth a look from a scout," Nathan says seriously.

"You really believe that, don't you?" Robbie asks. Nathan just furrows his brow. "You're so damn cool, man. Seriously. You're the best ball player I've ever seen outside of the NBA, and you still have all this faith in everyone else."

"What the hell kind of teammate would I be if I didn't have faith in everyone else?" Nathan asks. He's very well aware, as he says the words, that he wouldn't have ever said anything like that this time last year.

"Look, I gotta run. Meeting with Norton about this history extra credit," Robbie says, heading for the door.

"Later, Rob," Nathan says. He sees Matt pulling his white button down shirt on, and Nathan mulls over what he's about to do.

But he has to. He can't believe he's doing it, but he has to.

"I wanted to ask you something," Nathan admits.

"Shoot," Matt says nonchalantly as he finishes buttoning his shirt and reaches for his tie.

"So, I'm going to Peyton's place for the first time this weekend, and..."

"Ah, the palace," Matt says with a smile.

"OK, not helping," Nathan mumbles. "Just wondered if there's anything I should know."

"Naw. You'll be fine," Matt assures him. "It's a big place, but she's so...well, she doesn't really care. It's just her house to her."

"Is her dad really as cool as she says he is?"

"You're meeting him?" Matt asks with wide eyes.

"No. I'm just wondering."

"He's awesome. Super cool guy. Big ball fan. Just don't mess with his little girl, and you'll be alright," Matt says, clapping Nathan's shoulder.

"Thanks," Nathan says sincerely.

They step out into the hall, and there are already students milling around. Nathan sees Ginny standing alone at her locker, and he realizes that he's completely forgotten to talk to Peyton about setting up their two friends. He thinks he'll take matters into his own hands.

"Go talk to her," Nathan commands.

"What? No." Matt shakes his head and looks to Nathan like he's crazy.

"What do you have to lose? We're all friends. Just talk to her," Nathan says encouragingly.

"And what do I say?" Matt asks.

"Anything. Ask her if she needs a ride home from school today. Her car's in the shop."

"How do you know that?" Matt inquires.

"Peyton," Nathan says with a shrug. "Go, or I'll never let you live it down."

Matt rolls his eyes, but smiles, and bumps Nathan's fist before taking off down the hall towards the brunette girl he's had a crush on for years. Nathan just smirks and shakes his head. He's glad he's not in that position anymore. He likes knowing where he stands with his girl.

He's at his locker, arranging his books for the day and checking his schedule to see which class he has first - he just can't bother to commit it to memory when it's right there tacked up on the door of his locker.

"Nice ass," someone murmurs into his ear, her arms wrapped around him and offering him a coffee.

God, she's awesome.

"You too," he says softly, turning to look at her. "Hey. You _are_ the one in the white shirt and plaid skirt."

"I'm not a liar," she says seriously, and they both laugh. He leans over to kiss her and he rests his hand on her cheek for a moment. "I saw Matt talking to Ginny. What's up there?"

"Actually, I was supposed to ask you," Nathan admits sheepishly. "He's got a thing for her."

"I know. We all know. The only person who doesn't know is Ginny," Peyton says.

"Why hasn't anyone told her?"

"We're waiting for her to figure it out," Peyton says with a shrug.

"It's senior year. How much longer were you gonna wait?" Nathan laughs.

"It's crazy," Peyton says. "He's such a good guy, you know? Like, when she broke her wrist sophomore year, he drove her to school every day and carried her books for her. Last year when she and Duncan broke up, he punched the guy for cheating on her."

Nathan wonders why Matt's so nervous about even talking to Ginny, if he's apparently been so good to her in the past. Nathan wonders if maybe something has happened that no one else knows, like confessions of feelings, or moments of weakness. But with that group of girls, he can only assume that Ginny would have told them, and therefore Peyton would have told him.

"So how doesn't she realize it yet?" Nathan asks.

"Well, not every guy is as forward and brazen as you, Nathan," Peyton laughs.

"Maybe," he says, shrugging one shoulder as he takes her hand so they can walk to class. "But I'm the one with the amazing girlfriend, and they're all single."

She can't say anything. He has a point.

"We need to get them together," Nathan says. She looks up at him and smiles. "I sound like Brooke."

"Speaking of, she called me this morning," Peyton says, and Nathan stops walking and turns to stand in front of her. "What?"

"You guys are like, friends now?"

"Does that bother you?" she asks with a furrowed brow.

"No! No. I just didn't know," he tells her. "What'd she say?"

"She said everything's bad. Lucas and Haley had a huge fight last night - I wonder what _that_ was over - and she had to leave her place. She said she hung out with some guy named Mouth? I don't want to know what that entailed."

Nathan starts laughing. Really hard. Peyton swats his chest and pleads with him to tell her what's so funny.

"Mouth is like, the coolest geek ever," Nathan says with a chuckle. "He's been like a little brother to Brooke. And he hates it."

They start walking again, and Nathan drapes his arm around her shoulder. She loves that, and she's pretty sure she's never told him that. She'd almost take that over hand holding. Of course, as long as he's touching her in some way as they make their way towards their class, she's OK with it.

"I feel bad for her," Peyton admits. "Having to deal with all this extra drama. I mean, imagine breaking up with someone only to have them hanging out at your place all day, just because your roommate is their best friend. I think that's pretty selfish of Haley and Lucas."

"OK. Stop talking like that, or we're blowing off class," Nathan says into her ear as they step into their classroom.

"What?"

"You're...always on my side. And Brooke's side," he tells her.

"Well, I may not have been there, but I can tell that you two are the innocent ones." She smiles at him, and he beams proudly. "I mean, for the most part," she adds as an afterthought, raising one eyebrow. He laughs again as he opens his books.

----

Friday before the game, Nathan sees Ginny in the parking lot alone, decked out in her cheer uniform with a ribbon in her hair. He and Matt had a conversation the day before, with Nathan trying to encourage Matt to just tell the girl how he felt. Matt had refused.

Nathan's sick of the two of them beating around the bush.

"Ginny!" he calls out, jogging up to her.

"Hey! Ready? I hate cheering losing games," she says seriously.

"I'll do my best," he chuckles. "So, when are you going to admit that you're interested in Matt?"

She stops walking and just about drops her keys, and he just smirks at her and raises one eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" she asks.

"Don't play that game. Come on. You're into him."

"I'm...It doesn't matter," she says softly.

"Except that he's had a thing for you since, like...forever, apparently," Nathan says. "Just get it together already, OK? Because his pining over you is starting to get annoying."

"So I should go out with him for you?" she asks incredulously.

"No." He shakes his head. "You should go out with him because you want to." She opens her mouth to protest, but he starts backing away. "Gotta go warm up! See you later!"

----

After the game - a loss Nathan is pissed about - he's walking back to his car after sitting in the empty gym for a while, replaying his mistakes like he always does. He sees Peyton standing there, and he really wants to yell at her for standing alone in a dark parking lot, but he can't. He's kind of glad she waited for him, even though he told her not to. He should have known she wouldn't listen.

"Hi" she says, pulling him towards her by his shirt.

"Hey."

"You OK?" she asks, and he shrugs his shoulder but nods. "Good. Now, did you or did you not tell Ginny to go out with Matt?"

"Um...Yes if it's not going to get me in trouble, and no if it is," he says, and she smiles at him.

"They're going to dinner tomorrow," she says. "What did you say to her?"

"I just told her to quit fucking around and do it already," he says seriously. "Maybe not those words."

She wraps her arms around him and he presses her against the car, and she murmurs a thank you against his lips. He doesn't know why _she's_ thanking him, but he'll take it.

"Come over," he requests. "We'll go to your place tomorrow afternoon."

He can tell she wants to say no, but she really can't. She nods her head and pushes him away so she can walk to her own car. She turns and sees him watching her walk, and she shakes her head at him. He laughs, but he waits until she's in her car until he gets into his. He can't say he loves the idea of her hanging around dark, empty parking lots. He'll have to talk to her about that later.

He's so exhausted that night that they just lay in bed and talk, and they're both OK with that. She encourages him to put the loss behind him - it's only the team's second loss of the season - and just focus on the next game. She rubs his shoulders and his tired arms, straddling his back on the bed.

"I could really get used to this," he states.

"Yeah? I kind of like it, too."

"Don't say that. I'm too tired to do what that makes me want to do."

"Shut up. I hardly said two words," she laughs. "You're just easily turned on."

"My sexy girlfriend is on top of me, massaging my back and telling me she likes doing it? That's...That doesn't make me easy."

They're laying in bed in the dark, just after midnight, and he turns on his side, trying to get comfortable. He rests his palm flat on her stomach as she lays on her back, and she lets out a content little sigh.

"Nate?"

"Hmm?"

"I really like you."

He chuckles and kisses her forehead, and his heart is racing a little bit.

"I really like you, too."

As much as he's determined not to rush this relationship, he feels that might be a bit of an understatement.


	12. Chapter 12

Nathan wakes up in an empty bed, and he really doesn't like it. The apartment is quiet, and it's all a little too weird, considering Peyton should be somewhere around there. Well, she should be next to him, kicking him in her sleep.

He stands and wipes the sleep from his eyes, and pulls on a pair of basketball shorts before walking out into the living room. He sees her standing outside, her back to his open door and her elbows leaning against the railing.

He walks up behind her, and he wraps his arms around her waist. She startles, but then realizes it's him and she relaxes into him a bit more.

"Morning," she says.

"I got freaked out when you weren't there."

"Aww," she says, turning in his arms. "That's cute."

"I'm not cute," he insists, his voice thick with sleep.

"Hate to tell you, but you're cute." She smiles up at him, and he kisses her forehead.

"What are you doing out here?"

"I couldn't sleep, but I didn't want to wake you," she tells him. "How are you feeling."

"Fine." He shrugs one shoulder, then smirks at her. "I think your massage helped."

"Of course, it did." He stifles his laugh as moves back into the apartment, and she follows him. She watches as he pours himself a half a cup of coffee and takes a sip. "You sure you're OK?"

"Yeah. Why?" he asks, his brow furrowed.

"You just seem...sluggish," she says, perching herself atop the stool at the counter.

"Sluggish?" he echoes indignantly. "I just woke up."

"I didn't mean it like..."

"Don't make me prove it," he challenges.

"And just what would that entail?" she asks coyly.

"Don't do that. Don't get...Don't." She laughs and he shakes his head. "What time you want to go to your place."

"I thought we could grab lunch, then head over," she says. He smirks and nods. "What?"

"Well, it's only 9:00 now." He rounds the counter and stands behind her, peeling her sweater over her shoulders and dropping it on the floor. "I've got a few hours to prove to you how energized I am."

She hums when he kisses the side of her neck, then she's hopping down off the stool and taking his hand, leading him back to his bedroom.

That massage must have done wonders.

----

Pulling up to Peyton's house, Nathan is oddly at ease. He assumes that has everything to do with knowing that her dad's out of town.

But _damn_, that's a big house.

Not that he ever lived in a shack or anything, but this house is easily as big as the house he grew up in and the beach house combined. Maybe bigger, even. He looks over at Peyton, and she rolls her eyes.

There's a gate out front, and she punches a code and the wrought iron swings open for them to drive through. She pulls around the driveway and up to a four car garage, and when she pulls her car in, Nathan sees a Mercedes, a big Lexus SUV, and an old red Corvette sitting there, all shiny and waxed and perfectly kept.

"Stop gawking at the cars," Peyton chides, taking his hand in hers and leading him out the door towards the front of the house.

She pushes open the front door and kicks off her shoes, tucking them into a closet. Nathan does the same, and she smiles at him. He takes a look around at the tasteful decoration - nothing gaudy like he'd expected of a politician's house - and Peyton asks him if he wants a tour.

She starts in the kitchen, grabbing two bottles of water while they're there, then moves onto the dining room, living room, den, media room, and her dad's office. There's one more closed door that she tells him they'll come back to later, and he doesn't ask why or argue at all.

They start up the stairs, and she shows him two bathroom and three spare bedrooms that she insists are rarely ever used. She points to a closed door and says that's her dad's room, then pushes open the door to a bedroom he knows immediately is hers. Art on the walls, a modern but tasteful wood bed, red linens, and a wall of albums. There's a walk in closet and an ensuite bathroom, and a desk in the corner with an Oak Lake pennant posted above it.

"I like it," he says, taking a seat next to her on the bed. "It feels like you."

"Yeah?" she asks.

He realizes that _she's_ the nervous one. That's kind of sweet, he thinks.

"Mhmm." He leans over and pulls her into his side. "The place is big, but...it feels like a home."

"Good," she says softly. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to see what's behind the secret door downstairs," he says, raising one eyebrow. She smiles and stands, taking both his hands in hers. "Am I gonna like this?"

"Most people do."

"Is it, like, a room with a mud wrestling pit or something?" he asks, his voice full of boyish curiosity.

"What?!" she cries as they descended the stairs. "No!"

"Oh," he says in mock disappointment.

"Shut up," she says, shoving his arm gently.

"Peyton!" a voice calls out.

"Hey, Sandra. What's up?" Peyton says with a smile.

Nathan's a little surprised to see that Peyton's housekeeper is about 30, dressed in jeans and a Carolina Hurricanes tee shirt. She's attractive in that 30-year-old-woman-who-looks-good-for-her-age way. He'd expected a 50-year-old. Other than that, he didn't really have a picture in mind.

"Nothing. Just hanging out. Larry's back Tuesday, right?" Sandra says, eyeing Nathan before looking back to Peyton.

He's not really sure what that look means.

"Yeah. This is my boyfriend, Nathan," Peyton says. "Nathan, this is Sandra."

"Nice to meet you." He extends his hand and Sandra shakes it as she looks him up and down.

"Basketball player, huh?" she says knowingly. "Good work, Peyton."

"Sandra!" Peyton cries, her jaw dropping. Nathan just laughs. "We'll be around."

"OK. Be good."

Nathan doesn't really know what that means, either. He assumes that if this woman knew that he and Peyton had spent their entire morning in his bed, she'd probably have some sort of opinion. She seems cool enough, but she's one of Peyton's protectors, from the stories his girlfriend has told him, and he doesn't want her to think anything bad about him.

Sandra disappears into the kitchen, and Nathan follows Peyton down the hall. She turns to him just as she's placed her hand on the doorknob, and she shoots him a look that's devious and sexy, and he really, really wants to know what's behind the door.

"Ready?" she asks in a sultry voice.

"You're really pimping up this whole surprise thing."

"It's just fun," she says, shrugging one shoulder. "Come on."

He laughs and she pushes the door open, and the crystal blue of the indoor pool reflects on her face. Nathan can only shake his head.

"You have an indoor pool," he states.

"Yep. The roof retracts, and that whole wall opens, so in the summer it's kind of outdoors," she says. She points to the outer wall of windows that looks out upon a stone patio and the back yard.

"Seriously? That's amazing," he says.

"Yeah. It's kind of fun," she says. He pulls her in front of him and kisses her for no reason, and she lets out a little contented sigh.

"How warm is that water right now?" he asks.

He really doesn't think she'll go for it. There's no way she'll...Oh God. She's crouching down and dipping her hand in the water, and he just can't let that slide. She's so gullible.

He leans down and hooks his arm around her waist, jumping into the pool and taking her with him, squealing the whole way.

"Nathan!" she shouts when they've resurfaced.

"I can't believe you fell for that!"

"I can't believe you jumped in with your clothes on just to get me wet," she counters. She can literally see him biting his tongue, holding back a lewd comment. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything," he says with a laugh.

Sandra appears in the doorway after hearing Peyton's scream, and she just laughs at the two kids, fully clothed and laughing together as they tread water. It's been a long time since she saw that smile on Peyton's face. And Nathan seems like a perfectly sweet boy. She leaves and pulls the door closed behind her, shaking her head.

"You should take your sweater off," he says, noticing how her shirt is stretching.

"No!" she cries. "That's...there are people around!"

"You have something underneath," he reminds her. She moves so she's right in front of him.

"Just a white tank top."

"No bra?" he inquires. His mouth goes dry when she locks eyes with him and shakes her head.

He freaking _loves_ those tank tops.

"Let's go to my room," she says, wrapping her arms and legs around him as he stands in the shallow end.

"You don't know what you're asking for," he mumbles, and she laughs.

She kisses him far more passionately than she should, given that there are a few staff members lingering around the house. He moans when she pulls away and disentangles herself from him. She makes her way to the steps and he follows, watching her step out of the water. God, she's gorgeous.

She tosses him a towel, though they both know they'll drip all the way up to her bedroom. He kind of doesn't see anything but her. She wrings her hair out and wraps her towel around her shoulders, and she looks over her shoulder to make sure he's right behind her. Of course, he is.

They walk back up to her bedroom, and she closes the door behind them. Nathan shoots her a look as if to ask if it's OK that they're in there alone with the door closed, and she just winks at him.

She pulls her sweater over her head, and he's staring at her. She knew he would. She'd wanted him to.

"You're so hot," he says, shaking his head.

She rolls her eyes and steps out of her jeans. He's certain she's trying to kill him. She's wearing just a pair of black boy cut underwear and that white - and now wet - tank top. He pulls his own tee shirt over his head, and she walks over to stand in front of him, biting her bottom lip as she looks up at him. He rests his hands on her hips, and she wraps her arms around him, pressing herself against him.

"Don't start something you can't finish," he warns her as she runs her hands up and down his back.

"Who says I can't finish it?" She pulls away and locks eyes with him and smiles.

"I'm not...Not in your dad's house," he says seriously. He really can't believe he's saying this. The old him wouldn't. The new him doesn't want to make a bad impression on anyone close to her father.

"OK," she says softly. She leans up and kisses him quickly, then walks away and pulls her tank top over her head as she walks into her closet. She hears him groan, and she giggles.

She thinks it says a lot about Nathan that he's so insistent on respecting her father's home. She knows her dad trusts her, and he's not naive. They've had 'the talk', as awkward and uncomfortable as that was. She's very well aware that her dad is really laid back and when she told him about Nathan, he seemed pretty thrilled with the idea of her dating a 'solid young man', as he'd put it. Still, she knows that if her dad knew how Nathan has been handling this relationship, he'd be even happier still.

When Peyton steps out of her closet, she's wearing just a pair of black sweatpants and a black tank top. Nathan's still wearing his wet jeans, and she looks at him like he's crazy. She's got a pair of his basketball shorts in her hands, and he's not sure when she stole those. He looks at her in confusion, and she just shrugs one shoulder.

"Take off your pants," she says bluntly, smiling at him. "I don't want water in my bed."

"Peyton..."

"I'll throw your stuff in the dryer. Get comfy."

"This is weird. I feel...weird."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be back in two seconds," she says with a laugh. She rolls her eyes and turns around, and he laughs at her - and maybe a little at his sudden shyness - but steps out of his boxers and pulls on those dry shorts. "You can lock it if you want, but then we'll need a secret knock so you'll know it's me..."

"Stop it," he says. She kisses him quickly, then disappears into the hall, leaving the door open behind her.

He looks around while she's gone. Photos of her and the girls, and the entire cheerleading squad, and another from the very beginning of the year of the squad with the basketball team. She's standing in front of him with a smile on her face. He remembers that vividly. It was the same day as their first kiss. After she'd almost had him breaking his game day rule in the library. It was just before warm up, and they were all gathered in the gym. He'd told her he could see down her top, and she laughed and elbowed him in the ribs.

He moves to a few family photos. Her with her father at some fancy party, and another of them in London. There's a candid of them in the kitchen of the house. She's pouring coffee and laughing as Larry spoons Fruit Loops into his mouth.

He comes upon a few older photos, of Peyton as a little girl with a woman he knows immediately is her mother, just based on the way the woman looks at that blonde little girl. There's one of Larry, Peyton, and her mom. He's got it in his hands when Peyton walks back into the room.

"Hey," she says softly, coming up and looping her arm through his, resting her head on his shoulder. She knows what he's looking at.

"She's beautiful," he says. He doesn't know what else she'd want to hear, and the way she presses a kiss to his bicep, wherever her lips fall, tells him that perhaps that was the right thing. He kisses the top of her head, and she smiles at him.

"I should put one of us in here somewhere," she says, pulling away from him.

"Really? It's not too soon for that?" he says teasingly. "Next game."

"Why at a game?"

"Because you're dating the star player, and I'm dating the hottest cheerleader. We should document that."

"Oh. Right," she says, and they both laugh. "Let's watch a movie or something."

"What have you got?" he asks. He follows her to a rack of DVDs, and he picks one immediately. "Fight Club."

"It's Robbie's. He kept bitching at me because I haven't seen it, and..."

"You haven't seen Fight Club?" he asks in shock.

"No."

"We need to watch this, or I can't be your boyfriend anymore," he says, feigning seriousness. "Seriously. One of the greatest movies ever."

"I _do_ like me some Ed Norton," she bargains. She takes the DVD while he furrows his brow, and she laughs when she looks back and sees him still standing there. "I like you a little more."

"A little?!"

"Shut up and get into my bed," she says with a raised eyebrow. He really can't argue with that, and she knows it.

He does as he's told, and then she joins him, settling into his side. She'd brought some chocolate from the kitchen, and he smiles. The girl is always eating chocolate. He can't say he hates it when she reaches up and drops little squares of it onto his tongue, though. She giggles when he takes her fingers in his mouth, and then when she kisses him, the chocolate is melting on both their tongues. He takes a deep breath and tells her to stop. He needs to control himself, and those actions aren't helping.

Somewhere around I Am Jack's Smirking Revenge, there's a knock at Peyton's door, then it swings open.

"Dad!" she cries happily, jumping from the bed. She throws her arms around the man. "You're home early!"

And Nathan is scared out of his mind. He's laying shirtless in bed with the congressman's daughter. He has no idea what to do next.

He's never been terribly great with parents. He's only met a couple sets, and Haley's were admittedly off their collective rocker. They seemed to like him alright, but he assumed that had more to do with the fact that he provided them with endless jokes, not because of his shining personality.

And he knows Congressman Sawyer isn't just another parent. First of all, he's a freaking _congressman_. Second of all...Well, Peyton isn't just another girl. He's very aware of that fact.

"Yeah. My Monday meeting got cancelled, so I caught the first flight out," he says. He releases her, then kisses her forehead. She sees him look at the boy in her bed.

"Oh! Dad, this is Nathan," she says, turning back to her boyfriend. He stands and takes the few steps to stand in front of the man who's not quite as intimidating as Nathan had built him up to be in his mind.

"I would hope so," Larry laughs. "As far as I know, he's the only boyfriend you've got."

"Yes, dad."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Nathan says politely as the men shake hands.

"You too. I thought she was hiding you from me for a while, there," Larry says. "And please, call me Larry."

"Really?" Peyton asks in surprise before she can stop herself. He's never requested that of a boyfriend.

"Of course," Larry says. He eyes the boy in front of him and kinks his brow. "And you know, it's really too bad you can't find a boy with some muscle, Peyton."

"Daddy!" she says through her laughter. Nathan just smiles and bows his head a little.

"Good to see that Jennings isn't going soft on his players. You went to High Flyers, that right?" Larry asks.

"That's right," Nathan says. So maybe Peyton wasn't joking about that background check thing...

"You know Oak Lake hasn't had a state championship in..."

"25 years," Nathan says. "I know. I'm...We're doing our best, sir."

"Larry," the man corrects with a smile. "I'm glad to hear it." He glances down at Peyton, who's happy that this meeting is going so well. "So how come you two look like a couple of drowned rats?"

"We...Nathan pushed me into the pool."

"She pull you in with her, or was it self-sacrificing?" Larry asks Nathan.

"It was worth it to hear her scream like a girl," Nathan says with a chuckle, and Larry laughs as Peyton scowls and hits her boyfriend's arm.

"Alright. I'll leave you to it. Nathan, you're welcome to stay for dinner. I'll just be in my office if you need anything, sweetie," Larry says, kissing Peyton's forehead once more.

He leaves the room and Peyton smiles widely at Nathan, throwing herself into his arms as soon as the door's closed.

She's relieved. She knew her dad would like Nathan - there's really not much _not_ to like - but that meeting went better than expected, especially given the circumstances. She was almost certain that when her dad met Nathan for the first time, he'd have a shirt on, and they wouldn't look like they'd just showered together. Her dad is understanding, and he knows she can't - and wouldn't - lie to him, so she's sure he knows the pool story was true.

"I kind of can't believe he likes you."

"Wow. Thanks, babe," he says with a laugh.

"No! I mean...he's protective over me. He's never really liked anyone I've dated," she explains as she pulls away.

"Well, I guess you just never dated anyone as awesome as me before," he says with a smirk, making her laugh.

"Guess not," she echoes. She knows it's the truth, and maybe he does, too.

She pulls him back to her bed, and he topples onto her, making her giggle before he kisses her. His hand finds her side, pushing her tank top up just a little bit, and when she shifts beneath him, he's brought back to reality. Reality where he just met her father, and the man is in the house somewhere.

"Stop," he says. She whines just a little bit and throws her head back.

"You started it," she points out breathlessly. "Come on. Let's finish watching this movie."

"You'll love it. I promise." He rolls off her and they take the position they were in before.

"I don't see what the big deal is," she says with a shrug of her shoulders. He just shakes his head.

Later, after the movie is over, she looks at him, speechless, with wide eyes and a smile on her face. He asks what she thought, and she tells him now she gets why everyone loves that movie so much. She says it's a masterpiece, and goes on to tell him all sorts of reasons that he never even really realized. Probably having a film student as her last boyfriend changed the way she watches movies, but he doesn't really care. She's amazing when she's passionate about something, and he just laughs when she calls Robbie and has a short conversation with him about the movie he's been bugging her about for ages.

She convinces him with kisses and her puppy dog eyes to stay for dinner, and he finally agrees when she tells him that they always have prime rib for her dad's first meal at home after a long trip.

Sandra comes in with Nathan's dry clothes folded in her arms, and she laughs when Peyton rolls her eyes and points him towards the bathroom. She's really not sure when he got so shy. When Sandra pulls the door closed behind her again and it's just Peyton and Nathan, she steps into the bathroom just as he's pulling on his dry boxers, and he looks at her like she's insane. She hops up onto the counter, and they make out for a few minutes before he pleads with her to stop. She makes fun of him for always being the one to put on the brakes, and he makes a promise that the next time they're alone at his place, he's not stopping anything.

She's wondering when she'll be able to get back to his apartment again.

She drives him home after dinner and dessert and a conversation with her dad that goes better than they'd expected, and he smiles at her from the passenger seat as she pulls up to his place.

"I really wish I could come in," she says as he takes her hand.

"Don't be crazy. Go spend time with your dad," he insists.

"You know, you did a pretty good job, Superstar," she says. "Most boys fail the dad test. I was almost ready to just walk away and leave you two alone to talk cars and basketball."

"I'm sure we would have been alright," he jokes.

"I'm glad he likes you."

"Me too."

"I wouldn't have cared," she tells him. "I'm...I'm pretty crazy about you, Nathan."

It starts to rain just as he leans over to kiss her, and when his palm finds her cheek, he can hear the drops hitting the roof of her car over the singer she told him earlier is Ben Harper.

"I'm definitely crazy about you, Sawyer," he says, locking eyes with her. She pecks his lips quickly, then pulls away from him a little.

"Get the hell out of my car," she demands teasingly. "See you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." He kisses her knuckles before he gets out and runs towards his apartment.

She's smiling as she drives away.

She thinks that maybe her dad liking Nathan so much is a really damn good sign. Maybe Nathan is the kind of boy her dad has been waiting for her to bring home.

When he tells her later that evening over ice cream in the kitchen that he can see that Nathan is taken with her, she blushes, and Larry just smiles.

His little girl is falling in love.


	13. Chapter 13

When Nathan walks into the school that Monday morning, he's got two coffees in his hands and a smile on his face. He had a great weekend. Peyton's called him on Sunday to tell him that her dad gave the two of them Bobcats tickets for the game on Wednesday, and he spent the rest of his day doing - and actually understanding - his calculus homework after working out with Robbie in the morning.

He really doesn't expect to see Brooke Davis, decked out in an Oak Lake uniform, standing with the headmaster next to Nathan's locker.

"Nathan!"

"Brooke," he says with a smile. A confused one, but a smile no less. "What's going on?"

"Miss Davis is now a student here, Nathan," headmaster Connor says. "I know you two are friends, so I thought you might welcome her."

"That's...Yeah. Of course," Nathan says. Mr. Connor walks away, and Brooke looks at, barely able to contain her excitement. "What the hell? Since when are you transferring here? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it's a lot of Haley/Lucas drama that I didn't want to bother you with, and when I told my parents I wanted to leave Tree Hill, they basically wrote a cheque, got me an apartment, and told me to do whatever I wanted to do."

"Well...Welcome!" he says, setting his coffees on the shelf in his locker to wrap his arms around her.

Nathan's in the middle of telling Brooke where his classes are - they have english together, and then she has art with Peyton - when Peyton starts down the hall.

"Brooke!"

"Peyton!"

The two girls embrace as Nathan stands there, and Peyton gives him a sheepish look over Brooke's shoulder. She realizes that perhaps she should have acknowledged her boyfriend first.

"Sorry babe," she says after she moves away from Brooke. She leans up to kiss him, and he winks and hands her the coffee he got for her. Then she turns back to the new student. "What the hell are you doing here? I mean, I can see that you're...here...but...?"

"Tree Hill was getting too crazy. Fill me in on what's happened here!" Brooke cries.

Peyton links her arm through Brooke's, hands her books to Nathan, and the girls start off towards their english class, leaving Nathan behind.

"Yeah. Great. I'll just...I'll carry your things," he says, shaking his head. Peyton smiles at him over her shoulder, and he can only laugh.

By lunch, all Peyton's girlfriends and all Nathan's teammates know that Brooke has transfered. Robbie, of course, is most excited by the latest development. They all sit together at lunch, and though both Peyton and Nathan are dying to know the details of the events that have been going on in Tree Hill, they sit back and let everyone tell Brooke stories about the school, and tips and tricks she'll need to know. Claire immediately offers up a spot on the cheerleading squad, which Brooke accepts. Everyone laughs as Claire jokingly insists that Brooke show some moves, and Brooke does that very thing.

"Hey, Peyton. 6:30 tonight, right?" Robbie says.

"Yes! I can't wait!" she replies happily. Nathan shoots the two of them a look, and Matt laughs.

"Guys, he doesn't know this tradition," Matt points out. The girls roll their eyes, and Peyton and Robbie both laugh.

"Every year, the first UNC vs. Duke game of the season, Peyton comes over and we watch it together," Robbie explains. "Since...God...how long?"

"I don't know. Like, 10 years?" Peyton says seriously. "He's a UNC fan, and I've always been a Duke girl, so..."

"You're a Duke fan?" Nathan asks. He's not sure how he didn't know that.

"Since I was little. That's where my dad went." Peyton furrows her brow in confusion, and when she looks at Brooke, the brunette can barely hide her glee. "What?"

"Nathan!" Brooke squeals.

"Calm down, Davis," he laughs. "Duke's been my school for as long as I can remember."

His voice is soft, and though he knows everyone's listening, he speaks as though it's just he and Peyton alone. That sends a shiver down her spine, and she places her hand on his thigh beneath the table.

"That's kind of cool," she says. "But you're not crashing our tradition."

"Fine," he says. "I'll hang out with Brooke."

"Fine," Peyton says.

"OK. Are you two done yet? Because this conversation is boring to...well, everyone," Catherine says.

"This is actually kind of perfect," Brooke says after everyone stops laughing. "Because I have a ton of unpacking and moving to do, and Nathan is just _so_ good at all that."

"Dammit," he mumbles. "Matt, you're helping."

"No, he's not," Ginny says, smiling at Matt across the table.

No one questions what that means. They all know that one dinner Ginny and Matt shared went far better than anyone even expected. The girls spent Sunday afternoon drinking coffee in Catherine's bedroom and talking about the latest development. Brooke shoots Peyton a look, and Peyton gives one back that says _'I'll tell you later'_.

After lunch, Nathan and Peyton have history together, and before they leave their lockers, Nathan pulls her in for a kiss that's far too passionate given that they're in the middle of the hallway at school. When he tries to pull away, she grabs onto his tie so she can kiss him again. They draw stares from the people around them, but neither of them really gives a damn.

"Hi," she murmurs against his lips.

"Yeah," he whispers.

"Are you mad about tonight?" she asks softly. Her arms are still around his back, running over the material of his shirt. Even if he was mad, he realizes that after that kiss and with her hands doing that, he'd probably not be mad anymore.

"No. Of course not," he answers honestly. "Kind of jealous that he gets to watch the game with you and I don't."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he insists, kissing her quickly. "It's your thing. Being Brooke's lackey is my thing."

"Stop it," she laughs. "You'll have fun. Just make her put the game on in the background."

"But she doesn't make out during stoppages," he says. Peyton glares at him, and he laughs and takes her hand.

"She better not."

He kisses her quickly, and they make their way to their class. They're in their seats and the lesson has started before Nathan lets out a sound from his place behind her. She wants to turn and ask what's going on, but she doesn't love detention. He subtly drops a note over her shoulder that has her doing her best to keep from laughing.

_'Robbie better not make out during stoppages, either.' _

----

After an all-too-brief conversation and quick little make out session after school, Nathan and Peyton go their separate ways. Peyton begs Nathan to find out what's gone on that has driven Brooke to flee to Oak Lake, and Nathan simply - teasingly - tells her to behave. He also told Robbie - just as teasingly - to keep his hands to himself.

He finds himself at the address Brooke gave him, only a short 10 minute walk from his own apartment, and when he knocks on the door, he can hear Brooke talking on the phone. Angrily. He hears the name _Lucas_ just before she pulls the door open, and then she says goodbye and drops her phone on the counter.

"What's wrong?" he asks knowingly.

"Nothing." He looks at her like he knows she's lying, and she rolls her eyes. "Haley."

"You wanna tell me the whole story about what's got you coming here?"

"I dunno, Nathan," she says as they make their way to the couch. "I came here, and it was like...natural, you know? Like, walking the halls here felt...good. Senior year should be fun! It shouldn't be drama with roommates and a sort of boyfriend."

"What happened after Lucas came to see me?" he asked, avoiding eye contact.

"God, Nathan. I didn't know he was coming out here, or I would have called you."

"I know," he says. "Don't worry about that."

"Well, he came and like, immediately started yelling at Haley, asking her how she could do it and stuff, and I was totally caught in the middle. They fought for like, a week," she explains. "They're back on good terms now, but...I shouldn't have to split my time between my roommate and the guy I'm sort of seeing."

"No. You shouldn't."

"And then Lucas, like, accused me of lying to him about you and Peyton."

"What?" he asks angrily. "That's...Wait. _Did_ you lie?"

"No!" she answers quickly. "No. I told him I came to see you and spent a couple days hanging out with you. He didn't ask, and I didn't tell."

"What did Haley say?"

"She didn't so much say anything as she did cry. A lot." He hangs his head, and she knows she needs to tell him what she told Haley. "Nathan, I told her that you never meant to hurt her."

"Bet that went over well," he mutters.

"Well, it was fine, until I maybe made a comment about her hurting you first," she says, biting her bottom lip.

He laughs. He shakes his head and laughs. This is what he loves about Brooke.

"You're something else, Brooke," he says. "So you really just up and moved here."

"Yes. But not before telling Lucas we're through and that I don't want to talk to him again," she tells him. His eyes go wide. He knew she must have done it, but to hear her say it with such conviction was surprising. "It just shouldn't be like that, Nate. It should be easy, shouldn't it?"

"Yeah," he says with a smile. "It should be."

"Like you and Peyton."

"Yeah." He blushes a little bit, and she shoves him gently. "Maybe it'll be easy with Robbie."

"Oh, trust me. I intend to find out," she says, standing from her place. He can only laugh. "And how come you're not all jealous about the Robbie/Peyton hangout anyway?"

"Because no one messes with my girl," he says, as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. "And they're like brother and sister. And he hasn't stopped talking about you since you left last time. I think I'm safe."

She laughs and nods her head. She's kind of happy to hear that. He reaches for the remote - something Peyton had warned her he'd do - and she just needs to ask.

"Nathan, are you OK with me being here?" she questions seriously. "Because I know this is like..._your_ fresh start, and I don't want to get in your way or anything."

"Brooke, you're not in my way," he insists honestly. "It's actually nice to have a familiar face around. And these guys are great, and...I mean, this whole thing with Peyton is amazing, but...I'm glad you're here."

"OK. Good. And I promise I won't get all clingy and weird."

"Good. Because Peyton would probably fight you, and she's pretty tough," he laughs.

----

"Robbie! Seriously! If you don't quit it, I'm going to kick your ass!"

"Calm down."

"Don't steal my chocolate," she warned, her tone dangerously low.

"You two haven't changed a bit since you were 8 years old," Robbie's dad says with a chuckle, taking in the sight of his son in baby blue, and Peyton in royal blue. "I've got to go to this dinner. Peyton, if you kill him, just bury him in the backyard for me, alright?"

"Sounds good. See you later, Mike," she laughs.

"Later, dad," Robbie says.

"I seriously can't stand you right now," she says once the door is closed, and he just shakes his head.

"We really haven't changed, you know."

"I know. You still annoy the hell out of me, and I still hang out with you out of pity." She grins at him and he scowls.

"Funny."

"I thought so," she says. "Alright, Hargrove, let's make it interesting."

"How interesting?" Robbie asks with a raised brow. "$20?"

"$20? Chump change. $75. And whoever loses has to buy all the snacks for the next game," she says.

"I like the way you think, Sawyer. You're on." They shake hands, and he smiles smugly. "Lawson kicking ass this year."

"Whatever! Singler is a beast. Look at him!" she says, pointing to the boy in Duke blue on the screen. "He's way bigger than last year. Scouting report says he's going to dominate."

"OK, when did you get so into jocks?" he asks with a laugh.

"I always liked jocks, I just never wanted to date one." She shrugs one shoulder and steals a gummy bear and he glares at her.

"Nathan's different, huh?" he asks seriously.

"Um...yeah," she says, nodding gently. "He is."

"You're in love with him," he states, as thought it's obvious.

"I am not!" she cries, her eyes meeting his. "I've barely known him like...what? A couple months?"

"So!? I remember what you were like when you were falling for Julian. This is even worse."

"Worse?"

"I mean you're more into Nate than you were into Julian," he says with a shrug of his shoulders. "You're falling for him, Peyton."

"Maybe," she says softly. "Do you think it's crazy?"

"Crazy how?"

"Robbie, I'm...it's a big deal with him," she admits. "He's kind of amazing, and I don't want to mess it up."

"Mess it up how?" he asks. She scowls at him. He knows she hates it when people constantly ask questions instead of contributing to a conversation.

"Remember when Julian told me he loved me?"

"Oh yeah!" he laughs. "You said 'thank you', and he pouted for a week and a half!"

"I didn't know what to say!"

"Not 'thank you'."

"Yeah. I got that now," she says, and they both chuckle. "I'm just worried that...I dunno...maybe I'm in deeper than he is or something."

"That's insane," Robbie scoffs. "The dude's crazy about you, Peyton. I'm pretty sure he's falling for you, too."

"Yeah?" she asks hopefully.

"Definitely," he confirms with a nod. "Now, can we please stop talking about feelings and shit, because tip off's in two minutes, and I need to get my game face on."

"Game face?" she asks incredulously.

"Yeah. You know. The sexy serious face. I get it when I play. Brooke liked it."

"She lied. It's ridiculous."

"Bitch!" he cries, shoving her gently.

"You and Brooke, huh?" she asks with a smirk.

"Whatever. We'll see," he says, far more nonchalantly than they both know he is. "I like her."

"She's awesome," Peyton agrees.

"And she's going to look hot as hell in an Oak Lake cheer uniform."

"You're such a guy," Peyton groans.

"Oh, please. Like Nathan doesn't love the uniform," Robbie says. He just laughs when Peyton blushes.

She doesn't say anything in response, and then the game's starting, and they smile at each other. They love this tradition.

He steals another piece of her chocolate, and she punches his arm so hard that it leaves a bruise.

She wonders if all he's said is true. Is it really that obvious that she's falling for Nathan? It probably is. And that doesn't bother her. It shouldn't, and it doesn't. She's never really been one to wear her heart on her sleeve, but Nathan's quickly making her rethink that. He's the kind of person who just is who he is, and he doesn't care who knows it. He doesn't make apologies for the way he acts or the way he talks. What you see is what you get. She wants to be like that. To a degree.

And if Nathan is really falling for her, she's actually pretty thrilled about that. Her heart races a little in her chest, anticipating the day - whenever it may be - when they'll exchange those three words. She kind of likes that she can't picture his face or hear his voice in her head. That moment will be a complete surprise. She loves that.

She leaves Robbie's house that evening $75 richer, and she heads straight for Nathan's place. She doesn't need to be home for another hour and a half, and she's excited about the win.

She walks in to see Nathan sitting at the counter, his laptop in front of him, checking the rest of the NCAA box scores.

"Damn," he mumbles when he sees her. His girlfriend in his favourite team's tee shirt, her hair in a loose ponytail, and a smile on her face? Hot.

"What?"

"Look at you," he says, standing and walking towards her. "I swear, every time you come over here, you look hotter and hotter."

"You're just on a post-game high," she says, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"No, you're just sexy as hell."

"So...we won," she says, trying to change the subject.

"Singler was a monster, huh?" he asks. She smiles up at him as she shakes her head. "What?"

"I told Robbie that Singler was going to clean up. He didn't really believe me."

"Honestly? You need to stop. This...you talking basketball and looking like this," he says, eyeing her again. "You're starting something you can't finish."

"Can't finish?" she asks with a raised brow. "Nathan, I can finish it."

"I meant..." His words are cut off when she moves away from him and pulls her tee shirt over her head. Even the bra she wears is Duke blue.

"Nathan," she says softly when he won't stop staring. "Bedroom."

"_Please_ tell me your underwear match," he begs. He takes her in his arms again and pulls her close, his hands caressing her smooth skin.

"Let's find out," she says enticingly.

They're halfway down the hall and he can't take it anymore. He stops them and presses her against the wall, and he kisses her as he unzips her jeans. When he looks down and sees that she does match, he groans and she giggles.

"You know you're fucking incredible, right?" he asks seriously. "Tell me you did this for me."

He wants to know she was thinking of him when she got dressed. He thinks that's definitely just about the sexiest thing a girl could do. He doesn't even care what she wears; it could be sweatpants and an oversized sweater, for all he cares. If she was thinking of him when she put it on? He's going to love that.

"I figured if we lost, you could use cheering up, and if we won, we could celebrate," she says, looking into his eyes.

"That's probably the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me." His tone is serious and she really believes him. He's not lying.

His hand is also dancing along the top of those underwear, and she really just wants to be in his bedroom already.

"Hey, Nate?" she asks after he's kissed her.

"Hmm?"

"You're gonna go there, right? Duke?"

"I hope so," he says. "Why?"

"Just curious," she says with a shrug.

She moves away from him and walks towards his bedroom, and she's already out of her jeans and laying on his bed when he steps into the room.

He's pretty sure she just told him she wants to go to Duke, too, and that she hopes they'll be together this time next year. He's surprisingly OK with that.

She looks damn good in Duke blue.


	14. Chapter 14

Nathan loves the interleague tournament. Loves it. Every year, each team travels to a tournament and plays four games against teams from another division. It's a chance to battle some different players, some different teams, other than just the 10 teams in your own division.

This year, however, he's not really looking forward to it.

This year, the tournament is being hosted at Tree Hill High.

He's trying to just focus on the game; on his game. He's been dominant in practice, and everyone knows why he's putting in even a little more effort than usual. His teammates joke that him working harder is scary.

After practice one afternoon, he's shooting free throws over and over, just like he's always done when he's needed to clear his head. He doesn't know his coach is behind him, watching him work. Coach Jennings has his arms crossed as he stands there, watching his star player - a player he's almost certain will eventually make the NBA - put in extra work, just because he wants to.

"Nathan," Jennings calls. Nathan turns around and smiles sheepishly.

"Hey, Coach."

"How many have you hit?"

"Going for 25," Nathan says, spinning the ball in his hands.

"That's now what I asked," Coach Jennings says knowingly. "How many?"

"32."

They both chuckle, and Jennings takes the ball from Nathan's hands. Nathan wipes the sweat from his brow with the bottom of his shirt. He's not really sure why he's even still working, he just wanted to. He assumes his coach is just going to tell him to go home and get some rest.

Apparently not.

"Just read the scouting report on Lucas," Coach Jennings says.

"Oh?"

"They say he's sluggish this year. Not the same player he was last year."

"I...I wouldn't know," Nathan says with a shrug. "He had that accident, and...he was never really the same."

"How badly do you want to beat him?" Jennings asks with a smirk.

"It'd be nice," Nathan laughs. They both know it's an understatement.

"Just play your game, Nathan. Play _our_ game."

"That's the plan," Nathan says, nodding his head.

"All I know's that any team is better with you than without you," Jennings says, patting Nathan on the back. "You don't have to prove anything to anyone." Nathan nods again and crosses his arms. "But we're still going to win that game for you."

"Thanks, Coach."

"Go on. Get out of here," Jennings says, gesturing towards the door. "Go spend time with that girlfriend of yours."

"I gotta make 35," Nathan says, reaching for the ball again.

They both laugh, and the older man takes a step back, watching as Nathan hits his next three shots effortlessly.

He walks out of the gym and towards his car, and when he calls Peyton, he hears Brooke in the background. He's really not surprised. The girls are getting closer, and he smiles when he sees them walking together. He really likes that Peyton's looking out for Brooke, and has been so welcoming. And he likes having Brooke around, too. She seems happier, just like he does, and they both know that getting away from Tree Hill has everything to do with that.

"What's up?" she asks.

"Just leaving the gym. What are you doing?"

"We were practicing cheers in Claire's back yard," she explains.

"Who's we?" he inquires as he starts his car.

"Me, Brooke, Claire, Ginny and Catherine."

"You girls are pretty inseparable," he says with a laugh. He just heard Brooke's distinctive laugh, and Ginny say _'Oh my God!'._ "You want to hang out? I feel like I haven't seen you."

"We were together all day, Nate," she says.

"School doesn't count."

"Well, we're done here, so why don't you meet me at my place?" she suggests.

"Yeah. Sure. I'm just gonna change first," he says.

"OK. I'll order pizza. I have to drop Brooke off, so I'll see you in, like, a half hour?"

"Yeah. I...I'll see you then."

He hangs up the phone and he realizes he very nearly told her that he loves her.

He wishes he could say that he has no idea where the hell that came from, but he knows. And maybe he does love her. It's far too soon, but when he thinks about his last relationship, he and Haley were practically picking out rings this far in. He doesn't want to mess up the good thing he has going.

The more he thinks about it, as he steps through the door of his apartment, he realizes that he doesn't love her. They aren't there yet. But they'll be there. They'll get there, and it'll be amazing when they say those words.

And right now, he really needs to focus on the tournament they're leaving for in two days. Not on Peyton (well, not solely on Peyton). Not on Haley. Not on Lucas. Sure as hell not on Dan.

When he pulls up to Peyton's place, the guard at the gate smiles and waves him through. He kind of likes that the staff knows him know. He's been over a few times, and he and Sandra talked about basketball one time while he was waiting for Peyton to get off the phone from Catherine.

He walks up the front steps and rings the bell, and Peyton is out of breath when she swings it open.

"Hey!" she says excitedly.

"Whoa, cheery, take it easy," he teases. She scowls playfully, but leans up to kiss him. "Seriously. What's with the happiness?"

"Can't a girl just be happy to see her boyfriend?" she asks as they step through the hall towards the living room.

"You're not that girl."

"Shut up!" she shouts, swatting his arm.

"See, this is what I'm used to," he says. She rolls her eyes as she walks backwards and then flops down on the sofa. "Where's your dad?"

"At the club. He's having a drink with some friends or something."

"More importantly," he says with a smirk. "Where's the pizza you promised."

"Jay'll bring it in when it gets here," she says.

"You really are a princess," he says, shaking his head.

"I hate you." She narrows her eyes at him, and he just smiles and leans over to kiss her. "It's not that I'm stuck up, it's just because of the gate."

"I was just joking, babe," he says. "I'm sorry."

"I think Wake Forest is playing tonight, aren't they?" she says. "It's probably on one of my dad's 50 sports channels."

She tunes into the game and it buzzes in the background, stealing their attention every so often as they eat pizza and sip vitamin water. Peyton makes a few jokes he doesn't pick up on, and she's very well aware that there's something going on with him. She knows what it is, but she doesn't want to push him. He'll talk to her. She hopes he will.

An hour and a half later, they've tidied up after eating, and Nathan sits, eyes fixed on the screen in the fourth quarter of the game. When one of the players finishes an impressive dunk and Nathan doesn't bat an eye, Peyton's had enough of waiting for him to open up.

"So, am I supposed to sit here and pretend I don't notice that you're completely freaking out about the game this weekend?" she asks without even looking at him.

"I'm not freaking out about the game."

"Maybe not about the game," she says softly. "Maybe about some other stuff that comes with going home."

"It's a lot," he admits finally. "It's...It's going to suck."

"Well...can we just avoid it all?" she asks. He looks over at her with a hint of a smile on his face, and he kisses her quickly. "What?"

"We."

"What are you...?"

"You're...You're saying my history is something that we have to deal with together," he explains.

"Nathan, I'm not going to just let you deal with this alone," she says seriously, placing her hand on his cheek. "I'm with you, and I'm here for you. If that means meeting your crazy dad and bitch slapping your ex, I'm there."

They both laugh, and he kisses her again.

Truthfully, he really does love this side of her. The feisty girl with the devious smirk and the raised brow and the 'don't fuck with me' attitude. It was what he first noticed about her, that very first day they spoke. He doesn't doubt that she really would slap Haley if it came to that. She's got his back, and he's got hers, and he loves that.

And he realizes that he loves _pieces_ of her. Little things here or there that jump out at him, and he thinks, 'I love that.' He thinks that once he has all the pieces, he'll be _in_ love with her.

He thinks he's really damn close.

"You know you're kind of amazing?" he asks. She shrugs one shoulder and smirks at him, and he takes her hand in his.

"Yeah, but it's nice of you to say it," she says. He laughs and kisses her, and she settles into his side. "Nathan, Tree Hill is just a place. You belong here now."

"With you."

"Yeah. With me."

----

Stepping into the gym at Tree Hill High felt a lot like stepping into the scene of some sort of awful crime. Peyton stands with Ginny on her left, Claire and Catherine behind her. And Brooke Davis on her right.

Brooke Davis, who, until just a week ago, was the school's student body president, cheer captain, most popular girl, and undoubtedly the queen of the whole damn place.

Now she's wearing the colours of a rival. She has a green ribbon in her hair, and a little _'OL'_ on her cheek where there used to be an_ 'R'_, and she's standing next to Nathan Scott's new girlfriend.

It's a little hard to breathe. For both Peyton and Brooke.

"Remind me again why I agreed to do this?" Brooke asks as she scans the gym. It's mostly empty, and a few parents and spectators mingling around.

"Because fuck Tree Hill," Ginny says.

"Ginny!" Catherine cries.

"It's not a church. She can swear," Claire says. Peyton and Brooke laugh at their friends and shake their heads.

"And it's true. Nathan, Robbie, Matt and Aaron are going to tear this place down, and we're going to walk over the ruins," Ginny says. The other four girls look at her like she's insane, and she rolls her eyes. "_Whatever_. All I'm saying is, who _cares_? So you left. So Nathan left. So Peyton's dating the school's former golden boy. Oak Lake is still the number one high school basketball team in the state, and we're going to show these people why."

Peyton's almost convinced. That was a pretty good speech.

"And my ex-boyfriend is going to be starting for the opposing team," Brooke points out.

"I repeat. Who cares? Robbie told me you two made out behind the gym yesterday," Ginny says. The other girls gasp, then laugh at the gossip they hadn't heard yet, and Brooke's jaw drops.

"Why did he tell you that!?" Brooke cries, horrified.

"Because I told him I'd kick his ass if he didn't," Ginny says. She throws her bag over her shoulder and starts walking away. "Come on! Let's kill some Ravens, girls."

Claire and Catherine start following, but Peyton and Brooke, clearly the two most nervous of the bunch, stay behind for a minute. Peyton sees a retired jersey on the wall that she knows must be Dan's, and she takes a deep breath.

"This is going to suck," the blonde says.

"Yeah," Brooke sighs. "But...I mean, we're going to win, right?"

"You're damn right we're going to win. We have Nathan. We have Robbie. Matt's been kicking ass this year. Aaron's defense is incredible."

"OK. I need them to make me look good in this uniform. Well, _better_ in this uniform," Brooke says and they both laugh. Peyton throws her arm around Brooke's shoulder as they start towards the locker room.

"We're going to be fine, B. Davis. Just fine," Peyton insists.

She really wants to believe it.

But then they're walking down the hall and she sees Lucas with a petite girl at his side, and Brooke tenses, and Peyton quickly connects the dots.

Haley. Nathan's ex. Wife. Ex-wife.

God, her boyfriend was _married_. She doesn't know why it's really just hitting her now.

Actually, she does. It's probably because Lucas is staring at her like she's the biggest bitch in the world, and Haley is eyeing her because she's standing next to Brooke. She wonders if the other girl knows about her. _How much_ does Haley know about her?

"Brooke," Haley says.

"Hi," Brooke says nervously, offering a small wave. She turns to Peyton and gives what she hopes is a reassuring glance. "Locker room's just down the hall on the right."

"It's OK. I'll wait with you," Peyton says. Brooke smiles in thanks, and Peyton nods gently.

Brooke loves this girl. She really does.

"This is Peyton," Brooke says softly, not wanting to be rude. She knows this is going to start fireworks.

It's that very moment that the doors open behind them and Nathan and the rest of the Oak Lake team steps into the hall to walk towards the visitor's locker room. Peyton notices that Nathan's posture doesn't change, and she loves that. It somehow makes her stronger to know that he's seemingly unfazed. If he can be so strong in the face of all this, then so can she.

"Luke, I can't...I'm sorry," Haley says softly. She hasn't seen Nathan since he moved away, and this is as close to impossible as anything she's ever done.

"Haley, you have to. You're a cheerleader," Lucas reminds her, placing his hand on her shoulder. He's smirking at her, and it doesn't look like she appreciates it.

"We have to go," Brooke says abruptly.

Robbie and Nathan stop to stand with the girls while the rest of the team walks by, and Peyton sees Haley's face pale when Nathan offers the girl only a terse nod as greeting.

"See you out there," Peyton says softly, looking up at her boyfriend. He winks at her, and she wants to kiss him, but she's not _that_ much of a bitch. She punches Robbie's arm, and he smiles at her.

Brooke and Peyton walk off down the hall, and Nathan and Robbie head into the locker room. All without so much as a second look at either of the people left standing in the hall.

"I thought it might get tense here, but...that was uncomfortable for me, and I had no idea what the hell was going on," Robbie says once the door has closed behind them.

"My ex and my brother. Who is also her best friend," Nathan explains. It's the Cliff's notes, but it'll do.

"Oh. Shit. That was Lucas?"

"Yeah," Nathan claps Robbie on the back. "Uncomfortable for all of us."

"Alright. Well...I'm happy to kick his ass on the court. You?" Robbie asks with a smile.

"Thrilled," Nathan says.

They bump fists before the pull on their uniforms. Nathan takes a few minutes to sit there with his green jersey and shorts on, his iPod playing in his ear and his head bowed, just like it always is when he's getting himself in the right mental space to play his heart out.

The coach comes in and tells them they have five minutes until the warmup, and he stands, stretching his neck and rolling his shoulders.

"Let's do this," Robbie says seriously. Matt and Aaron appear, and they offer supportive nods. Nathan's come to really like these guys.

Nathan knows they'll win. He's not worried about the game part of it. Oak Lake's going to kick ass, and their cheerleaders are going to go nuts, and Nathan's going to own this gym just like he did when he played in it every Friday night.

It's not the game that has him nervous.

----

He's a little surprised when he steps onto the court and receives almost as much applause as he used to. There are a few 'boos' but he doesn't care. They actually spur him on a little bit. He'll give those people something to boo about.

He walks over and shakes Whitey's hand, just because that's the kind of player he is, and Whitey smiles and cordially says good luck. He also tells Nathan he's proud of him, but only when none of the Ravens are within earshot.

He's just finishing his warmup when he sees his father walk through the doors. He takes a deep breath, and he watches out of the corner of his eye as Brooke says something in Peyton's ear. Peyton sends him a smile, and it makes him feel a hell of a lot better.

He catches sight of his mom and his uncle Cooper in the stands, and Deb waves proudly. Cooper yells something apparently obscene, because he receives a punch on the arm for it from his sister.

He doesn't see Haley, and he doesn't see Lucas. He knows they're there, but he just ignores them. They're a blur. He can't focus on all that.

He makes the game's first shot - a three that, really, there was no way he should have been open for - and he takes a deep breath as he runs back on defense. He ends up with the ball again when Aaron swats the ball out of Skills' hands, and he heads in for an easy lay up, and just like that, Oak Lake is up by five. It's just the beginning of the game, but he feels good. He's already seeing holes in the opposing players' games, and he has every intention of exposing those weaknesses and walking out of this gym with a win.

He's fouled late in the second, and he makes his two free throws like they're the easiest thing in the world. To him, they really are. It's like second nature. He sees Dan smiling. For a man who always claimed to bleed Raven blue, he seems to be pretty happy that his son is wearing that green uniform and dominating the home team.

"God, he looks good, doesn't he?" Peyton says to Brooke as they rustle their pompoms. "I mean, he always looks good, but..."

"He's got, like, 20 points in the half," Brooke says seriously. "He's on fire."

"Are _you_ OK?" Peyton asks.

"I'm fine, actually. I'm not the one getting the evil eye from Haley. Well, not as much as you are, anyway," Brooke says.

"Whatever. I don't need her and her high school drama ruining my night," Peyton says. Brooke smiles and shakes her head. "Besides, I got the guy."

Brooke laughs, and when Nathan and Robbie step onto the court again, the girls are calling their names and doing high kicks like the good cheerleaders they are.

By the end of the fourth, Oak Lake is up by eight, but the game got surprisingly close. In the third, Skills led the Ravens to a 10-2 run that had Nathan cursing and Coach Jennings shouting from the sidelines.

Lucas is blocking Nathan in the last ten seconds of the game, and Nathan really wants to score on his brother, just to rub salt in the wound.

And he's going to do it using one of Lucas' moves, just because he can.

"What do you think?" Nathan asks with a smirk as he dribbles the ball. "Fade away?"

Lucas clenches his jaw as Nathan takes the ball and sends it through the air. He sinks the perfect fade away just as the buzzer sounds, and Nathan smiles when he sees the girls going crazy on the sidelines beneath the basket. He raises his hands in the air, and his teammates rush towards him to congratulate him. Lucas is standing there, not five feet away, his hands on his hips and his head tipped back.

Peyton decides she really doesn't care who's here and who used to be with Nathan, or what team her new friend used to cheer for. Her boyfriend just played his best game of the season, scoring almost half the team's points on his own, and she just wants to jump into his arms and tell him how proud she is.

So that's what she does.

She runs over to him, and he opens his arms just in time to catch her. Her feet are off the ground, and his hand is in her hair - just a little curlier than usual for the occasion- and her skirt flares a bit.

"Nathan!" she says happily. "Baby, you were so good."

He sets her on her feet, but he holds her close, and she leans up and kisses him like they're the only two people in the gym. He smiles against her lips, and when they part, he just shakes his head at her. He loves that she doesn't care about all the drama.

"You must be Peyton."

Peyton and Nathan turn just in time to see his mom smile and open her arms to her son. He hugs her as Peyton blushes and tucks her hair behind her ear. It had slipped her mind that Nathan's mom was there.

"Hi," she says with a smile, extending her hand once Deb has let go of Nathan. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Deb says. "Nathan didn't tell me you were so beautiful."

"Mom!"

"Seriously, Nate. She's hot. Too hot for you," Cooper butts in.

"Peyton, this is..."

"Cooper Lee," Peyton finishes. She shakes his hand as he smiles at her. "Nice to meet you."

"Don't hit on my uncle," Nathan whispers, only loud enough for Peyton to hear. She drops her jaw and swats his chest, and he just laughs. Deb and Cooper look on with amused smiles. They like this girl already.

"Go celebrate!" Deb insists. "You're staying at the house, right? Both of you?"

When he'd talked to his mom earlier in the week, she insist he stay at the house she still owned; the house Nathan grew up in. Cooper was scheduled to come with her - just in case Dan came around - and Deb was excited to finally be introduced to her son's new girlfriend. When Nathan asked Peyton if she was OK with staying with his mom, she threw her arms around him and said 'of course'.

"Yeah. We'll be over in a bit," Nathan says. He pulls Deb in for another hug. "It's so good to see you, mom."

Deb and Cooper walk away, and Nathan leans down to kiss Peyton again as the team and the rest of the cheerleaders crowd around them again. The spectators are filing out of the gym, and the Ravens players have gone to the locker room, and Nathan sees Dan standing by the door. The older man offers only a simple nod, and Nathan responds in kind, and then Dan leaves. Nathan is perfectly fine with that.

"OK. 39 points?" Brooke says. "Thank you."

"Feels good, huh, Davis?" Nathan asks. She nods her head and they both let out little sighs of relief.

"Come on," Matt says. "Let's get the hell out of here."

The group has just stepped into the hall to head back to the locker rooms, and they see Haley, Rachel and Bevin walking down the hall. Peyton doesn't have a good feeling about this. Nathan has his arm draped over her shoulder and a little bit of her lip gloss on his lips from the kisses they've shared.

She's pretty sure this is going to be ugly.


	15. Chapter 15

The girls from Tree Hill eye the kids from Oak Lake, and it all feels a little like some sort of gang war. The tension is thick, and Peyton wants to protect Nathan just as much as he wants to protect her.

To their surprise, it's Brooke who speaks first.

"Well, well," Brooke says, in that tone she's always reserved for catty encounters. She's eyeing Rachel with disdain. "If it isn't cheerleader Barbie, now with more plastic."

Matt laughs, and Rachel glares at him. She's still a little burned that he turned her down last year.

"Come on," Claire says in an attempt to keep the peace. "Let's just go."

"Something Brooke's good at. Just walking away," Bevin says.

"Take it easy, Bevin," Nathan warns.

"Whatever, Nathan. You can't just come back here with your new team and your new girlfriend and pretend like last year never happened," Bevin says.

The only ones staying quiet are Peyton and Haley, and that's probably because they know they're the real reasons for this awkward confrontation.

"I'm not. It's called moving on," Nathan insists.

He's getting a little pissed, and Peyton can tell. She wraps her arm around his waist, but when it's her turn to get pissed, she moves it pretty quickly.

"Moving on?" Haley pipes in. "Didn't take you very long."

"At least he waited until you two were broken up," Peyton says harshly.

Nathan and Brooke share a glance. They know this isn't going to end well.

"Whatever you need to tell yourself. You and I both know you're just a husband stealing slut," Haley spits.

Brooke's jaw drops. She's never heard Haley James talk like that before. Judging by the look on Nathan's face, he's never heard it either.

He's about to say something in defense of himself and of Peyton, but his girlfriend takes a different route.

She reaches out and slaps Haley clean across the face so hard that the sound of it resonates through the hall. Haley clutches her cheek and stares Peyton down.

The Oak Lake girls gasp and exchange glances; this is the first they've heard that Nathan was married. Robbie and Matt smile, knowing that Peyton wouldn't be pushed around - they're proud of that girl. Nathan just stands there, really unsure of what to do next.

"Back the hell off," Peyton says, moving forward and getting right in Haley's face. Nathan is a step behind her, ready to protect her if needed, or pull her away if needed. "Take a look in the mirror before you go calling anyone a slut."

"You think you know the whole story, huh?" Haley says.

"What story?" Peyton asks with a bitter laugh. "You leave your husband to go tour the country, and fall into bed with someone else. I think that covers it." She turns to Nathan and needlessly questions him. "Sound about right, babe?"

Everyone there knows that Peyton using that term of endearment was simply to add insult to injury.

"We were in love!" Haley shouts.

"Explains why you slept with Chris Keller!" Peyton fires back.

"Ew!" Ginny cries. Brooke laughs, and Claire tries not to.

"You don't know what it takes to make a marriage work," Haley tries. She's barely holding it together, and everyone can tell.

"Neither do you, apparently," Peyton says, crossing her arms over her chest.

And that's when Haley steps towards Peyton and essentially tackles her.

It's a flurry of hair pulling and fists flying. Slapping and name-calling and basically the two girls rolling around on the floor in the hallway in a fight that the guys can't break up. They physically can't do it, but not for lack of trying.

Peyton winds up on top of Haley, and the brunette reaches up and clips Peyton's mouth with an errant fist. Peyton hits Haley with another harsh back handed slap across the face, and then Nathan's got his hands hooked under the blonde's arms and he's pulling her away as she kicks her legs and hurls more insults at a girl she now really, really hates. Matt pushes Haley in the other direction, looking over his shoulder to check on Peyton.

"Bitch!" Peyton cries.

"Peyton!" Nathan shouts, pushing her against a wall a good 15 feet from the crowd.

He pins her there so she can't move, and her breathing is erratic as she closes her eyes and tips her head back. She should be so much more in control than this, but that girl just attacked her, and she had to defend herself.

Plus, it felt really good to hit the bitch a couple times.

She's bleeding from the lip, and she's got a hand print on her arm that Nathan knows is going to bruise. There's a red mark on her cheek, he assumes from a slap, and her knuckle is split, probably cut on Haley's tooth or something.

His girl is so damn hot. She just _fought_ someone. It may be the sexiest thing anyone's ever done for him.

"I'm sorry," she says softly.

Matt and Robbie are pushing the three girls from Tree Hill down the hall and out of the school, and Nathan vaguely hears Haley and Brooke talking. He hears Brooke say _'you cheated on him, Haley',_ and he looks over just in time to see Brooke shrug her shoulder and rejoin Catherine, Claire, and Ginny, who pull her into a group hug.

"She just came at me," Peyton explains.

"I know. I was there," Nathan says.

They're thankful that their friends are giving them a little space. The couple needs to talk this out, and the rest of them no doubt need to get all the details of Nathan and Haley's relationship from Brooke.

"I shouldn't have done that. God. I'm so...I'm sorry," she says, shaking her head.

"Are you kidding?" he asks with a smirk. "You just fought someone over me. You know how sexy that is?"

"She just wouldn't shut up! God, she's...She can't talk about you like you did something wrong! _She's_ the one who messed everything up!"

"Hey. I know. And I love that you defended me, but...you've gotta calm down," he tells her, using the back of his index finger to wipe the blood from her lip.

"I slapped her first. I started it," she says, locking eyes with him.

"I know. I thought you were joking the other day," he teases.

"Don't make this OK!" she says. "I just got into a fight, Nathan. A _fight_! My dad's gonna kill me."

"You could take him," he says.

"Stop it!"

"OK!" he says, jokingly cowering from her. He covers his head with his arms and turns away a little, and she stomps her foot on the ground, making him laugh.

"Nathan!"

"Easy, man," Robbie calls. "She's got a hell of a right hook."

"Shut up!" Peyton shouts. "Or you're next!"

"Come on, slugger, let's get you cleaned up," Nathan says with a smile. She closes her eyes again and shakes her head, and he places his palm on her tender cheek. "Hey. Thank you."

"You're thanking me for going crazy?"

"I told you. It's sexy," he reminds her. "I would have done the same thing for you."

She smiles a little and nods her head, and he kisses the side of her mouth that isn't dripping blood.

The girls and Robbie and Matt had quickly decided they'd shower and change at the hotel - they just want to get the hell out of this school for the night - are all waiting and ready to go. They've got both Peyton and Nathan's bags with them. Nathan takes his and slings it over his shoulder, but when Peyton tries to close her hand around the handle of her bag, she winces in pain. Everyone laughs at her, and Nathan takes it for her as he pulls her into his side.

They walk to the parking lot, and everyone's makes jokes about her sticking up for her man, and she blushes and shakes her head shamefully. She's still smiling though. She'd do it again if she had to.

She's never going to live this down.

----

Nathan drives her car, since Peyton still can't close her hand. They're quiet, and he knows she just feels silly about what just happened. And she's probably worried about what her dad will say when he finds out. She's definitely worried about what Coach Jennings will say, since he's the team's sole chaperone. He won't be pleased when he sees the battle wounds on his cheerleader's face tomorrow.

"Peyton," Nathan says as he cuts the engine in front of his childhood home, "stop freaking out."

"I'm not..." The look he gives her lets her know she can't lie to him. "I'm sorry. I don't want to, but...my hand is freaking killing me, and I really need some ice."

"Come on," he says with a chuckle. They step out of the car and he grabs their bags for them.

She takes a moment to look at the house again. She remembers driving past it during their day here at the beginning of the year, but it looks a little homier now. The lights are on, and there are cars in the driveway, and she knows she's going to be spending the night getting to know her boyfriend's mom.

She wishes she didn't have a split lip and a hand print on her cheek.

Deb actually gasps when they step inside, and she rushes towards Peyton, who's got her head bowed a little bit.

"Sweetie, what happened?" Deb asks, ushering the girl through the foyer. Nathan drops their bags and follows close behind.

"I had a little run in with Haley," Peyton explains.

"And it came to blows?" Deb inquires. She gestures for Peyton to take a seat at the counter in the kitchen. "Must have been some conversation."

Deb reaches into a drawer for a first aid kit while Nathan grabs some ice from the freezer.

"I'm sorry. This isn't exactly the first impression I wanted to make," Peyton says, shaking her head as Deb hands her a bottle of water.

"Don't be silly. I've wanted to hit her for a while now," Deb says, waving her hand in the air and making them all laugh. "And I'm sure Nathan's already told you all about his crazy mother."

He presses the ice to Peyton's knuckles and she winces. He kisses her temple as she dabs at her split lip with a tissue, attempting to clean away the last bit of dried blood.

And yes, in fact, Nathan has told her all about his crazy mother.

"Whoa. What happened to you?" Cooper asks as he steps into the kitchen to see Peyton and Nathan sitting there, Peyton now pressing ice to her lip.

"Haley," Nathan says simply.

"No way," Cooper says, crossing his arm as he smiles and nods appreciatively. "Atta girl."

"Why are all the guys encouraging this?" Peyton asks rhetorically. Deb shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders.

"Tell me Haley looks worse," Cooper says, reaching for a bottle of water and sitting next to Peyton.

"Maybe. I hit her first. My hand still hurts."

"Nice!" Cooper looks at Nathan. "I like her."

"She's alright, huh?" Nathan says. "It took three of us to break up the fight."

"What happened?" Cooper asks seriously.

"She called me a slut," Peyton says with a raised brow.

She doesn't know why she feels so comfortable with this family, but she really does. They aren't judging her, and they're perfectly comforting and welcoming. Nathan told her that they know she's the congressman's daughter, but they aren't giving her any special treatment, and she loves that.

"Umm," Cooper says, his brow furrowed, as if to imply that Haley's obviously confused about her role in all of this.

"Exactly. She had it coming," Peyton says firmly.

"Don't get her all riled up again." Nathan smirks and Peyton glares at him. "She's a little scary."

"You lucky bastard. You realize you just had two cheerleaders fighting over you?" Cooper asks, shaking his head.

"Enough," Deb laughs. "Leave the girl alone."

"Thank you," Peyton says with a smile.

"Food?" Cooper offers, reaching for the phone. "I'm starving."

Peyton sits and watches as Deb fusses over Nathan and insists that he drink Gatorade and eat some fruit to replenish himself after the game. Cooper orders Chinese and generally sits and chuckles, throwing in the odd hilarious comment that makes Peyton laugh. He grasps Nathan's bicep, talking about how scrawny Nathan used to be. Peyton doesn't believe it, and Nathan groans when Deb runs for the photo albums.

"You're evil," he says to Peyton. Cooper laughs before heading for the door for their food.

"Whatever! You've seen pictures from when I was younger," she says, shrugging one shoulder.

"Yeah. Cute little you in your backyard with your friends. Not lanky 11-year-old on the court in the driveway," he says.

"Stop it. I can't even imagine you being lanky," she scoffs.

But then Deb returns with a few photos, and Peyton can't help but laugh. She laughs so hard that the cut on her lip opens again, and she has to grab another tissue to stop the bleeding. Cooper returns and starts laughing as well, at the photos, Nathan's embarrassment, and Peyton's battered state.

"Great. Thanks," Nathan says.

"You _were_ lanky!" Peyton cries. "How long have you been 6 feet tall?!"

"He was 5'11" when he was 12," Cooper explains. "I told you. The brawn is new."

"And I'm 6'2"," Nathan corrects.

"Those two inches make a difference?" Peyton asks incredulously.

"Darlin', bigger is always..." Cooper starts, smirking wolfishly.

"Stop right there," Nathan interrupts quickly, holding up his hand. "Don't corrupt her."

"Hate to tell you, Nate, but your girl just got into a fist fight with your ex. She's no angel," Cooper says with a laugh.

"Hey!" Peyton interjects.

"I told you," Nathan says. "Don't piss her off."

"I hate you," she mumbles. She turns to Deb, and takes the plate she's offered. "Tell me they get better as they get older."

"I wish I could," Deb insists. "They're pretty much this way for good."

"Great," Peyton says, rolling her eyes. She glances at Nathan, and he's smiling at her. "Something to look forward to, then."

Neither Deb nor Cooper miss what Peyton's simple statement implies. She's looking forward to the future with Nathan, even though they've only been together a short while. Even though she's certain he'll always be this way. She kind of likes him this way, so she doesn't think it's a bad thing at all.

They all laugh when they're finished eating and Peyton is mid-sentence and can't stop her yawn. Nathan just leans over and kisses her temple, draping his arm around her.

"You two should get some sleep," Deb says. "Go on. Breakfast at 10:00."

"Thank you...for everything," Peyton says sincerely as she and Nathan stood from their places.

"We're here all weekend, you don't need to hand out thank yous yet," Nathan teases.

"There's no such thing as too many thank yous," Peyton says. "So don't bug me."

She yawns again, and Cooper laughs.

"I guess your Muhammad Ali impression takes a lot out of you, huh?" Cooper jokes. Peyton punches his arm as she walks by, and he just laughs a little harder.

Once the kids have started up the stairs and are out of earshot, Deb shoots Cooper a look that he doesn't need to be a genius to figure out.

"She's..."

"Yeah," he says, nodding his head and smiling. "She is."

There's something about Nathan and Peyton that Deb never saw between he and Haley. She can't put her finger on it. All she knows is that it's something really, really good.

----

Nathan and Peyton walk upstairs, and when he doesn't show her to a room of her own, instead taking him into his bedroom and dropping their bags, she looks at him like he's crazy.

"What?"

"You're...Your mom is here, and we're sleeping in the same room?" she asks skeptically.

"Peyton, I was married. She pays for my apartment. She knows I'm not a virgin," he says, and her jaw drops.

"Shut up! You know what I mean," she hisses. "Are you sure this is OK?"

"We don't have to. There's a spare if you want," he says with a shrug of his shoulders.

"No. I want to stay with you. I just don't want to disrespect your mom or something."

"Don't worry about that. She likes you." He pulls off his shirt and drapes it over the back of a chair, and she looks to the floor as she toys with the bottom of her top. "You OK?"

"Fine!"

"No, you're not," he says, shaking his head and walking towards her. "Tell me."

She smiles at him, because she loves that he's not the kind of guy to say all those stupid encouraging words. He wants her to tell him what's bugging her, so he says 'tell me'. He doesn't try to butter her up or ensure her that it's OK before he even knows what's going on.

"It's just weird to be here," she says. "I mean in Tree Hill."

"I know. I'm sorry you have to deal with all this," he says as he looks to the floor. "And I'm sorry you got into it with Haley. She shouldn't have...I can't believe she said that."

"I can," she insists firmly. "She lost you."

He shakes his head, but a grin breaks on his lips. The girl's amazing, and he's positive she doesn't know it.

They get ready for bed, and she's laying with her back to him when he realizes that she's already, in their short relationship, fought for him more than Haley ever did. When he and Peyton first kissed and had that whole misunderstanding, it was her chasing him and explaining herself until he understood. It was her initiating their move to being 'boyfriend and girlfriend'. It was her making sure he'd be alright going home to face his old life. It was her sticking up for him and their relationship.

He really doesn't know how he got so lucky.

"We play Bear Creek tomorrow. They good?" she asks, turning onto her back in the darkness.

"No. They suck," he says with a chuckle. "And once they see our badass cheerleader with her battle scars, they'll probably be afraid to even drive the lane."

"Would you stop it?" she requests. She swats his chest, but he grasps her wrist and pulls her against him. "I feel stupid enough already."

"Don't feel stupid," he insists seriously. "I should actually seriously thank you."

"Thank me?"

"For fighting for me. Or us. Or...yourself. You're...Amazing," he says. "With Haley, it was always me doing all the chasing."

"Well, the girl picked the wrong time to grow a backbone," she mumbles, and he just laughs.

"She's probably got the black eye to remind her," he says. She buries her face in his chest, and he knows she's actually a little embarrassed, so he changes the subject. "I'm glad you're here with me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. In Tree Hill." His voice grows quiet and he looks down at her. "And in general."

She kisses him quickly and rests her head against him.

"I like being with you," she almost whispers.


	16. Chapter 16

When Peyton wakes up, her face is pressed against the pillow in a way that is so incredibly painful that she wonders how she didn't wake up sooner. She notices, looking out the window - that it's a nice sunny day, and she notices second that Nathan isn't in bed next to her. Quickly checking the time, she wonders how and why he let her sleep until 11:00.

She gets up and pulls on a sweatshirt of his that she sees sitting on the edge of the bed, and she smiles. He's obviously left it out for her, and she adores that she's got such a thoughtful boyfriend. He's really too sweet sometimes, without being_ too sweet_. She's not sure that makes sense, but he's just sweet without all the clichés. She loves that.

She checks her reflection in the mirror, and she shakes her head at the person looking back at her. She's got a split lip and there's a very harsh red mark on her cheekbone, and she wonders when she became the kind of girl who'd fight anyone over a guy. Right about the time she started dating Nathan, she suspects. He's just worth fighting over, and she's known that all along.

She pulls her hair into a ponytail and she hopes that she's got the right kind of makeup to cover the marks on her skin. She knows that if she doesn't, then one of the other girls will. She smiles at the thought.

Then frowns.

Those girls - save for Brooke - are going to have a lot of questions about Nathan's past. Peyton hopes Brooke filled them in on most of that at the hotel.

She really doesn't expect to see Brooke sitting in the kitchen, a mug of coffee in her hands as she talks to Cooper.

Flirts would be more appropriate.

"'Morning, Sleeping Bitchy," Brooke chirps. "Nice shiner."

"Who let her in?" Peyton jokes.

"What!? Me and Cooper go way back," Brooke says, winking at the man.

"It's Cooper and I," Peyton corrects.

"Whatever. I came over to make sure you're OK," Brooke says and Peyton smiles as she picks up a croissant. "And to hit on hot uncle Cooper."

"Brooke, he's like, 40." Peyton shoots Cooper a little smile, and his jaw drops.

"I'm 29," he corrects her.

"Either way?" Peyton says, pointing to Brooke. "Jail bait."

"I didn't say_ I _was hitting on _her_!"

"Oh come on, Coop, you know you want it," Brooke says enticingly.

"Sorry Brooke. To me, you'll always be the little girl who used to run over here and whine to Nathan until he did exactly what you wanted him to do," Cooper says.

"Well, when I'm 21, and you're 33, you'll _so_ want to date me." Brooke looks away from him, like that'll prove what he's been missing, and Peyton just laughs. Cooper shakes his head and stands from his place.

"So where is my boyfriend, anyway?" Peyton asks.

"He said something about the River Court," Cooper tells her as he rinses out his mug and starts tidying up. "He said he'd be back by noon."

"He's going to the court when he has to play today? What is he thinking?" Peyton asks, shaking her head.

"You don't understand what the River Court is," Brooke says with a fond smile. Peyton notices that Cooper is wearing a matching one. "It's like...a _place_, you know? Where he can go and just..._be_."

"Wow. Very descriptive. You know? You should be a writer or something," Peyton teases.

"It's hard to explain," Cooper says, after Brooke shoots an incredulous look at Peyton. "Get dressed and I'll take you over there to see for yourself."

She wants to say no, but she really can't. This place obviously means a lot to Nathan, and she wants to know why. They all make it sound like it's some sacred ground, and she can't help but feel like maybe it is. She knows that the things Nathan takes seriously, he takes incredibly seriously. Things like basketball, and his mother, and his friendships.

And their relationship.

She smiles and nods, and then she's making her way to the stairs. She laughs when she hears Brooke tell Cooper to make sure he's single when he's 33. The girl is certainly not subtle. Peyton also assumes she's not serious.

----

He's not sure why he's agreed to this, but here he is. And of course, he'd have to come to the one place that held so many memories. Of course, she'd suggest this place. She knows he wouldn't - maybe can't - say no, and that he'll meet her and let her say whatever it is she needs to say, even though they both have to know it won't make a difference.

He has a game this evening, so he can't work out like he actually really wants to, but he still pulls the ball from the trunk of his mom's car and shoots around lazily.

"Hi," Haley says nervously after he's been there about 15 minutes.

"Hi," he responds. There's no warmth in his voice, and he doesn't want there to be. He hopes she recognizes that. The hurt look on her face lets him know that she does.

"How are you?"

"Really, Hales? Small talk?" he says incredulously. He lets out a bitter laugh and shakes his head. "Just get to the point."

"When did you get so mean?" she asks softly. "Nathan, I'm just..."

"What? Sorry? You want to apologize for attacking my girlfriend over something that's ancient history?"

"Yes, actually," she says. "I don't know what came over me. I..."

"You know, this is kind of a pattern, Haley," he tells her, pinning the ball to his hip beneath his arm. "You do something that you know is wrong, and then you try to apologize when we both know it's too late. It's...it's _too late_ for all that."

"Don't you still...Don't you wonder, though, Nathan?" she asks, her eyes welling with tears. "Don't you wonder if we could have made it work."

"No."

"Nathan, don't say that just to hurt me. I want to know the truth."

"I'm telling you the truth!" he shouts. The girl is in so much denial, he doesn't know what to do. "Haley, we...you and I...it wasn't right. It never was. We just wanted it to be, OK? And...Maybe that was fine for a while. But it's not now, and it hasn't been for a long time. Right around the time you met Chris, actually."

"Nathan, that was a mistake!"

"I think the mistake was getting married," he says candidly. "I honestly don't know what I was thinking."

"You're breaking my heart right now," she says. She's crying, and he really can't find it in him to care. Not really in the least.

"How do you think I felt when you left me?" he asks. She closes her eyes, knowing he's right, and he bows his head. "And Peyton was right. At least I waited until you and I weren't together anymore."

"Right. Peyton."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asks incredulously. "You don't know anything about her."

"She just doesn't seem like your type," Haley says shrugging one shoulder.

"You don't know _anything_ about her," he repeats. He's trying really hard not to get really mad. "_Nothing_. And it's not like I asked your opinion."

He wants to start listing off all the reasons why Peyton is his type. That she's beautiful and brilliant and funny and sweet to him. She's artistic and selfless and she treats him like he's...himself. He doesn't have to pretend around her, and he doesn't need to be anything other than what he is. She doesn't ask him to change, because she doesn't think he needs to.

"Are you in love with her?" Haley asks, her voice breaking as she tries to get out the words that are no doubt killing her to say.

He takes a deep breath because he feels like he's been lying to himself, trying to say that he's not there yet. He doesn't want to pretend anymore. He _is_ there. His heart is there.

"Yes," he answers simply.

----

Cooper has two gorgeous girls in his ridiculously fast car, and he laughs that he can't do anything about it. Peyton teases him and tells him that he'd never have a chance with her anyway. She might be lying when she says never, but it's close enough. Brooke simply tells him there's plenty of room in the back seat with her. Peyton's actually on board with that, since she really, really wants to drive his car.

They all laugh when he says that there's no way in hell either of those things are happening.

He drops Brooke at the hotel where the rest of the Oak Lake team and cheerleaders are staying. She and Robbie are having lunch, and when Cooper asks who Robbie is, she blushes and tells him he missed his chance.

"She's insane," Peyton says. "Robbie doesn't know what he's signing himself up for." Cooper just shakes his head as he pulls away from the curb again. "She always talk to you like that?"

"Since she was about 15," Cooper laughs. "It's harmless. We both know it's not happening. _Ever_. I've got enough girl problems without Brooke Davis."

"Oh _really_," Peyton says, turning to him a little more. "Do tell."

"Just my ex...It was one of those situations where she wasn't right for me, but she wasn't wrong either, you know?" He glances at her for a moment, and she's nodding and looking at him like he's just made all the sense in the world. "What?"

"Well...it's not like I've had all sorts of experience yet, but I know exactly what you mean," she says. That's basically how she'd explain her relationship with Julian.

"So what's Nathan?"

"Nathan's...different," she says. Cooper doesn't ask her to elaborate and she's thankful, because she's sure she would talk herself into a corner that would have him laughing at her.

She laughs at the music he's got in his car, and he rolls his eyes. He calls her a music snob, and she tells him he just needs a little help with his selections; that pretty much anyone would make fun of him for having a Creed album in his car. Or anywhere, for that matter.

When they get to the River Court, Cooper mutters a curse, and Peyton tenses a little bit. Neither of them are sure why Nathan is talking to Haley. Alone. At his 'special' space.

"Peyton, I'm sure it's..." Cooper starts.

He doesn't finish his sentence, because they both watch Haley wipe her cheeks and turn to walk away, and they're both really wondering what has been said. Peyton turns to Cooper as if to ask what the hell's going on, and he just shrugs.

"Your call," he says, and she knows that he's telling her that he can either take her back to the house - or even the hotel - or she can stay and talk to Nathan.

She sighs deeply and watches as Nathan, seemingly unfazed, turns back to the hoop and starts shooting the ball again. She's not insecure, and she knows that Nathan wouldn't cheat on her. He certainly wouldn't cheat on her with Haley. She knows this is the first time he's really been home, and that its not inconceivable that he and Haley would have a one-on-one, serious conversation.

"Thanks for the ride," she says, reaching for the door handle.

"Atta girl," Cooper says. He smiles at her and as he's pulling away, he wonders when the hell these kids all got so smart.

Nathan has to stifle a frustrated groan when he sees Peyton, because he knows that she's just seen him talking to Haley. Not that he has anything to hide, but he'd rather she not have to see it. He had intended on telling her later anyway. Not in public, though.

"Hi," she says, walking towards him.

"Hey. You saw that, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Sorry. She asked if I could meet to talk, and..." he explains.

"It's OK," she interrupts him. "I just hate waking up alone. And I hate that she got your attention today before I did. And I hate that she can't get over you."

"I'm over her," he reminds her. "And she's got one hell of a black eye."

"Nathan..."

"It's true. She definitely got the worst of your brawl," he says, and she rolls her eyes. His tone turns sincere as he takes her hand in his. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake you this morning, and I didn't think...I just didn't think."

"It's alright. Really. I don't want to be crazy or anything, but..." she says, her voice trailing.

"What?"

"I really, really don't like her," she says honestly, and he laughs.

"You don't have to," he tells her. He pulls her closer, and she wraps her arms around him. When he leans down to kiss her, she smiles before his lips hit hers.

"Sorry," she says softly.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," he insists. "So stop saying it."

She kisses him quickly and just stands in his arms for a few minutes. He runs his hands over her back, and she has to smile. Haley was the one walking away crying, and Peyton gets this. She gets to have him holding her, and kissing her, and sleeping next to her. She gets _him_.

She's pretty sure she has nothing to worry about at all.

"Come on. Let's get lunch before I have to go to my meeting," he says, taking her hand in his as they start to walk.

He really doesn't expect to see his father standing at the edge of the court when he turns around.

"Hi, Nathan," Dan says.

Peyton holds Nathan's hand a little harder, and she's not sure if that's for her benefit or his. The stories she's heard about Dan Scott have been less than favourable for the man, and she doesn't really want to deal with him or the way he'll no doubt make Nathan feel.

"Dad," Nathan says curtly.

"Who's this?" Dan asks, looking to Peyton.

She wonders if she's the only one who notices that Nathan sets his jaw.

"Peyton," Nathan says simply. "My girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you," Dan says, extending his hand. Peyton smiles courteously and shakes his hand, and she notices a flash of recognition in his eyes. "Congressman Sawyer's little girl."

"Not so little," Nathan says, and they all chuckle just a little, despite the tension.

"I thought I recognized you last night," Dan explains.

"What do you want, dad?" Nathan asks. He's not crazy about small talk, and certainly not when he can tell that Peyton's already a little uncomfortable.

"I thought we could talk. It's not like you've really kept in touch," Dan says.

"Yeah, well, it's not exactly like you've left me with a lot of great memories over the last 17 years," Nathan says. "Sorry if I don't just call to chat."

"Nathan, I'm trying here," Dan says, his shoulders slumping just a little.

And Peyton, through all of this, just thinks it's really weird that Dan's wearing a suit and tie on a Saturday. Sure, he's the mayor, but she's pretty sure the Hugo Boss is overkill.

"Where was that effort two years ago? Or 10 years ago?" Nathan asks.

"Maybe the effort was there, and you just didn't want to see it!" Dan almost shouts.

"I..."

"Look," Peyton interrupts, staring Dan down. "I know you think you're pretty much the best thing around, but maybe you need to take a step back and realize that your son doesn't need you anymore. Maybe _that's_ why he hasn't kept in touch."

Both Nathan and Dan are awestruck at what the girl has just said, because not only are those the first words she's spoken to Dan, but also because she's absolutely right.

"I'll be in the car," she says, looking over at Nathan. She notices he's trying to hide a smile.

"I'm coming," Nathan says. "Goodbye Dad."

"Nathan..."

"Dad! Just...stop trying," Nathan says in defeat.

None of them say anything else as Nathan and Peyton get into Deb's car and he turns the key. Peyton can tell Nathan's a little rattled when he sits there for a few moments, just lost in thought.

She doesn't know what to say to him. Sure, some of her friends have had some family dysfunction that she's helped them through, but nothing really to this magnitude, and she doesn't want to say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing. So she just reaches over and toys with his earlobe a little bit in that way she knows he loves, and he looks over at her and smiles.

"Anyone else you want to fight while we're here?" he asks.

"Well, I haven't had a go at Lucas yet."

"He'll cry," Nathan says jokingly, and they both laugh. "Seriously. I know you like, can't just bite your tongue, but my dad isn't exactly someone you want to piss off."

"Whatever," she scoffs. "Look at all the guys I have protecting me."

"We don't want to have to," he reminds her. She rolls her eyes as he puts the car in drive.

They head towards his house to eat and change, and then she'll drive to the hotel, and he'll go meet with the team at the school.

"What?" he asks when he notices that she's far too quiet and staring out the window.

"I guess I just didn't realize how bad it is for you here," she says. He shrugs one shoulder like it's not a big deal, but they both know it is. "It just makes me even happier that you're at Oak Lake now. You know? So you don't have to deal with all this."

"I'm just happy I get to be with you," he tells her. He raises her hand to his lips and kisses her knuckles, and then they're quiet for the rest of the short drive.

----

She knocks on the door to Ginny and Brooke's hotel room, and she almost holds her breath, waiting for the questioning she knows she's about to get. She's got her bag slung over her shoulder, because the game they're cheering isn't for a few hours, and she didn't feel like being ogled by...well, anyone. She's wearing just her jeans and tee shirt, and Brooke smiles at her when she opens the door.

She steps inside, and Ginny is laying on the bed, reading from some trashy women's magazine, and a repeat of Dawson's Creek plays in the background. Claire and Catherine sit at the table next to the window doing each others' makeup for the game.

"Well, well, if it isn't wifey number two," Ginny says teasingly, and Peyton rolls her eyes. "Or would you rather we just call you a big, fat secret-keeper?"

"It wasn't my secret to tell," Peyton insists. She sets her bag down and sits on the bed next to Ginny.

"Well I'm sorry, hon, but you're gonna have to tell us the whole story," Claire says.

"What whole story?" Peyton laughs. "He was married, she cheated, they got an annulment, he moved, we got together."

"Well, how long have you known?" Claire asks.

"Since way before we even started dating," Peyton says. "And actually, that's all thanks to Brooke."

"Really!?" Brooke asks happily. Her face changes when she realizes that maybe that's a weird thing to be happy about.

"The day Nathan and I came here. He was honest with me from the beginning." Peyton takes the bottle of water Brooke hands her, and they both notice the uneasy look on Catherine's face.

"Cath. What?" Peyton asks. She's trying not to be short, but she wants her friends to trust her judgment.

"He was married, Peyton. That's...huge," Catherine says, shaking her head. Claire scowls at her, since she's trying to apply the perfect shade of gold eye shadow.

"I know it is. And he knows it, too. It's just...it's all in the past," Peyton says.

"Explains why you've got a hand print on your cheek," Catherine mumbles.

"Look, she was in love with him. Apparently. And she still thinks she is," Peyton explains. "It's not like it's all that easy to let go of a serious relationship anyway. Imagine having to deal with a divorce before you even graduate high school."

"Funny. Nathan seems to be handling it just fine," Catherine points out.

"It's easier when the person destroys your heart," Peyton says in defense of her boyfriend.

"Peyton, marriage should be taken seriously!"

"Tell that to Haley!" Peyton fires back. "And you know what, if we were 25, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"We're _not_ 25, Peyton! That's the point," Catherine says.

"OK, whoa," Brooke says, holding up her hands. "You two need to just...breathe. OK? Because, Peyton, I love you, but it's a messed up situation and I know you know that." Peyton tips her head back and sighs, but she knows Brooke is right. "And Catherine, I know how you feel about these serious relationship things, but...it's not your relationship to worry about."

"She's our best friend!" Catherine says, aghast.

"I know that," Brooke says rationally. "And if she were getting hurt, then trust me, I'd be one of the first people telling her to get out of it."

"He's..." Catherine starts, but Brooke cuts her off.

"I've known Nathan all my life. You have no idea what he's been through," Brooke explains gently, trying not to make it sound like an accusation. "He's...He had a stability with Haley that he hadn't had before, and he wanted to hang on to that. He never had that growing up, and he sure as hell didn't want it from his father. I know it sounds crazy, but he thought that marrying Haley would help him keep that."

"That's...intense," Claire says.

"Yeah," Brooke says softly. "So...don't judge him so quickly." Peyton shoots Brooke a smile, thankful that the she was just able to explain things that Peyton couldn't. "Or Peyton will kick _your_ ass too."

"She'd do it, too," Ginny says, still wrapped up in her magazine. "I think the magic word is 'slut', so I'd steer clear of that one."

"Guys! You're not supposed to make fun of me for this!" Peyton says as her friends all laugh at her.

"Oh, I think we'll make fun of you for this for a long, long time," Claire says. "Now come on. Who would you rather? Dawson or Pacey?"

"Dawson," Catherine says.

"Pacey," Peyton says, watching the boy on the screen. The other girls share looks, then start laughing hysterically. "What?"

"Pacey and Nathan are like, pretty much the same person," Brooke points out.

"What!? They are..." Peyton starts, before she's interrupted.

"OK. Wait, wait, wait," Claire says, holding up her hand. "We need to hear the Brooke plus Robbie plus making out behind the gym story now."

Brooke blushes and lays back on the bed, and they all listen intently as she gives details about that day. She'd insisted she wanted to tell them all together, and now that Peyton is there, she can tell the whole story.

And Peyton's just glad that the attention is off her for a little bit.


	17. Chapter 17

Oak Lake dominates the tournament. They win all their games handily, and Nathan is named MVP of the tournament by the organizers. He smiles bashfully and says a humble thank you, and he credits his teammates. He notices all his new friends smiling. He gets the feeling they're all as happy as he is - maybe happier.

They're only three games from the playoffs. They've already locked in a spot in the first round, but that's not enough for Nathan. Last year's early exit still resonates with him, and he doesn't want a repeat of that. He knows this team is a hell of a lot better than last years' Ravens - not that the Ravens were bad by any means.

He's got a good feeling about this team. This may be the year...

Robbie and Brooke catch a ride back to Oak Lake in Peyton's car with Nathan, since the bus left early and Deb had invited Nathan, Peyton and Brooke for dinner. Since Robbie is Brooke's...something (they haven't discussed it yet) Deb insisted that he join them, too.

"Seriously, Peyton, do you have any music that isn't...sucky?" Brooke requests from the back seat.

"Uh oh," Robbie mumbles. Nathan laughs and Peyton glances at him with a raised brow.

"Something you'd like to say?" she asks her boyfriend.

"Someone just insulted your music. I'm surprised you haven't pulled over and kicked her out of your car," Nathan says with a chuckle. Robbie laughs again and Peyton scowls at him in the rear view.

"What's the big deal? It's just music," Brooke says, shrugging one shoulder.

Peyton's awestruck.

Nathan turns in his seat to look at Robbie, and the boys are both legitimately afraid of what's going to happen next. Nathan has made the mistake of talking about her taste in music, and she's punched him for it. Just his arm, but still... He's almost certain Brooke's going to get an earful.

"_Just_ music?" Peyton asks incredulously. "Let me ask you. Have you ever put on a song because you knew it'd make you smile? Have you ever heard a song that was so profound that you stopped what you were doing and thought about..._any_thing? Life? Love? Anything?"

"OK. Whoa. All I was asking for was a little Beyoncé or something," Brooke said, raising her hands in defeat.

"Oh, God," Robbie groans, running his hand over his face.

"What's wrong with Beyoncé?" she asks.

"Stop talking, Brooke," Nathan warns her, laughing as he rubs Peyton's arm comfortingly.

"I'm going to make you a mix," Peyton says ."I know that we cheer to some seriously top 40 hip hop songs, but...Nathan, get my Ray Lamontagne album out of my bag."

"Ray _who_?" Brooke asks.

"It's perfect for this drive. Trust me," Peyton insists.

Robbie's just shaking his head. He's known Peyton a long time. She's not going to stop until she makes Brooke understand her point.

The opening strains of a song fill the car, and Nathan smiles over at Peyton. This is actually one of his favourites now. But only at certain moments. Most of those moments are with her, but even when he's at home by himself trying to study, the soft melodies and soulful tone of the singer's voice helps relax him.

Peyton weaves her fingers through Nathan's as they drive through the dark back to their town, and no one says a word for almost ten minutes. Robbie and Peyton actually have fairly similar taste in music. He grew up playing concert violin - he gave it up for basketball when he started high school - and has a pretty serious love for music, too. Granted, it's not anything as intense as Peyton's.

It's Brooke who finally breaks the silence. She hears a line in one of those songs that hits her, and she's not too proud to admit that it's much more than just music.

_There's a lot of things I don't understand / Why so many people lie / Well it's the hurt you hide that fuels the fires inside you._

That's pretty much been her entire life, and absolutely her last couple years.

"OK. Wow."

"You see?" Peyton asks gently.

"Yeah. I get it," Brooke says honestly. "Please make me a mix."

"Peyton Sawyer. Changing people's lives through music, one song at a time," Robbie says whimsically.

"Says the guy who still has my Ryan Adams CD. I swear, if I don't get that back this week..."

"You'll get it back!" he says with a laugh.

"You said that last week!" Peyton says.

"OK, I hate that I always have to mediate with you two," Nathan says, shaking his head. "You're seriously like brother and sister."

Peyton just rolls her eyes. She resists the urge to make a comment on how they _could_ be all touchy-feely and Nathan would have to worry about something else entirely. She knows he'd sit there and think about it for the rest of the drive. She doesn't need her boyfriend thinking about her with anyone but him. She doesn't _want_ to be with anyone but him.

----

He's painting her toenails a deep shade of red Tuesday evening as they lay on his sofa. It had taken some convincing to get him to do it, but she made an offer he couldn't refuse. He's very well aware that it was pure bribery, but when the end result is so favourable for him, he really can't complain. She's reading Rolling Stone with her feet in his lap. It's quiet and unseasonably sunny, and she insisted he open the windows to let some air in. She's bundled in a sweater, but she won't let him close the windows.

"Want to come to this party thing with me this weekend?" she asks, closing the magazine and dropping it in her lap.

"What?"

"It's black tie, and it's probably going to be really boring," she explains with a shrug. "I mean, I get it if you don't want to."

"Are you sure you want me to?" he asks, screwing the cap back on the polish and setting it aside. "I mean...don't you have to be on your best behaviour?"

"Well, as long as you don't tear my clothes off in the middle of cocktail hour, I'm sure we'll be alright," she says, making them laugh. "If you don't want to come, that's..."

"No," he interrupts her, shaking his head. "I want to."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he says with a smile.

"Oh, you are going to look so good in a tux," she purrs, and he loves the grin that's on her face. "Not that you don't look good in everything."

"What are you wearing?" he asks.

"Not telling!"

"Why not?" he laughs. "It's not a wedding or anything."

She raises her brow at him and she wonders if he's thought that far into the future.

"It'll be a surprise," she says, picking up her magazine again.

"Well, it'll have to go with red," he says. "These toes are looking awesome."

"They are. Good job, Nate," she says, winking when he scowls at her for being patronizing.

"You're not even going to tell me what colour?" he asks, almost pouting.

"Nope."

"Come on."

"I don't even have my dress yet, actually," she explains. "I better get on that."

"So you do these things a lot?" he asks.

"Not a lot. Every few months. They aren't horrible," she says nonchalantly, shrugging one shoulder.

"You should make it sound more fun than that."

"It'll be fun. I have my own room at the hotel," she says, her eyes meeting his.

"Definitely fun," he says beneath his breath. "Where is it?"

"The Chancellor," she says. His eyes go a little wide. That's the nicest hotel in the area. "I know. It's totally overkill."

"So this is, like, a serious thing?" he asked worriedly. "I mean...Who am I going to have to impress?"

"Everyone," she laughs. "Just be a good little boy and no one will bat an eye at you."

"I'm sure they'll all be looking at you anyway," he says.

She rolls her eyes, but when she looks back at him, he's just smiling at her, and she leans forward to kiss him. He takes the magazine from her hands and throws it over the back of the sofa, and she laughs a little against his neck. He's always telling her that if she comes to his place, he shouldn't be expected to entertain himself.

He slips his hand beneath her shirt and she whispers his name. His heart beats a little harder every time she does that.

And then her phone rings.

"Leave it," he commands.

She just kisses him again. She has no intentions of answering, it's clear. She pulls his tee shirt up over his head, and he smiles when she bites her lip, looking at his toned body hungrily. She really has no idea how she's got such a hot boyfriend. She thinks it's crazy that he's only 17 and he looks the way he does.

The knock on the door minutes later has them both groaning in frustration. He drops his head to her shoulder, and she just kisses along his jaw line as she moves her hips against his. Apparently she doesn't want to answer the door, either. He smirks before his lips hit hers. He adores that she knows what she wants. He adores that she wants him.

Whoever's at the door pounds a little harder.

"What the fuck?" Nathan asks, doing nothing to hide his anger.

"You should get it," she says breathlessly.

"Bad idea," he grumbles. He legitimately glares at her when she laughs.

"Get off."

"I'm trying."

"Nathan," she hisses. "Seriously. Get off me."

He does, but not before pressing himself into her one last time. If she's going to tease him, he'll tease her right back. He smirks in accomplishment when she moans and tips her head back a bit.

"Jerk," she breathes out. He's got his hands on his hips and she looks him up and down with her brow kinked.

"I'll be in my bedroom," he grumbles. She laughs again and he shakes his head as he starts down the hall.

She stands and straightens out her top, then pulls the door open, surprised to see Brooke standing on the other side.

"Hey!" the brunette chirps happily. She glances at Nathan's retreating form, then looks back to Peyton. "You didn't answer your phone. He's not wearing a shirt. You're all flushed. I've interrupted."

She speaks quickly, and Peyton tries to laugh, but it just doesn't seem that funny.

"No, you didn't," she lies.

"Yes, she did!" Nathan shouts from his room.

"What's up?" Peyton asks. She can feel her cheeks burning a little more, but she welcomes Brooke inside.

"I'm bored!" Brooke whines, flopping down onto the sofa. "Ginny and Matt are...doing whatever. Cath is studying. And Duncan is in town, so Claire is otherwise engaged."

"What about Robbie?" Peyton asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

"He's watching the game with his dad," Brooke explains. "And don't look at me like that. We've barely kissed. It's nothing."

"It is not!" Nathan's voice comes from the bedroom again. "I call bullshit, Davis!"

"OK, if you want to have a conversation, get out here!" she shouts back.

"I don't want to have a conversation. I want to fool around with my girlfriend!"

"Nathan!" Peyton scolds.

"Oh please," Brooke says, waving her hand in the air. "I've heard it all."

"I don't know if I should be OK with that," Peyton says with a laugh. Brooke shrugs her shoulder.

"Entertain me!" Brooke demands. "Unless you two kids really do need to be left alone."

"We do!" Nathan calls.

"Actually..." Peyton says softly, biting the corner of her lip.

"You suck!" Brooke says, getting up from her place. "I guess I'll just to do _homework_ or something. Have fun. Be safe. No one wants a baby at 18."

"Get out!" Peyton hisses, laughing as she pushes Brooke out the door.

She shakes her head when she turns the lock, then she turns the ringers off on both she and Nathan's phones. She doesn't want any more distractions. She just wants Nathan. Actually, she's kind of glad he was so insistent that Brooke was interrupting. Peyton wouldn't have said that on her own. She would have said it was fine and they'd hang out. Nathan is just straight to the point. It's one of her favourite things about him.

He's laying beneath the covers when she enters his bedroom, and she tries not to let her face fall. She can see that he's shirtless, but that's nothing new, really.

Then she sees the jeans he'd been wearing draped over a chair, and she raises her brow at him.

"What?" he asks with a smirk. "It was inevitable. I'm just saving you the trouble of taking off my pants."

"Right." She crosses the room and stands next to him, just out of his reach, and places her hands on her hips. "That, or you just want things to go faster."

"OK, I don't know what you're going to say when you realize I'm completely naked."

"You were naked while Brooke was here?!" she cries.

"Not the whole time," he says as he laughs. "Come here."

"No!"

"Peyton," is all he says. It's the way he says it that has her stepping towards him.

He grabs her wrist and pulls her down onto the bed, and he pulls back the covers with his free hand. She takes a sharp breath - _damn_, he's gorgeous - and she has to smile at him.

"Why are you with me?" she asks, shaking her head.

"What?" He thinks she's insane to even ask such a thing.

"I don't need a list or anything," she says, and they both laugh a little. "I was just thinking out loud."

"Stop thinking about it," he insists, pulling her closer to him. She ends up on top of him, but neither of them complain. "Just...be with me, too."

She kisses him before she does something crazy like say that she loves him.

----

After school on Wednesday, Peyton makes Ginny and Brooke go dress shopping with her. Both girls are far more into this stuff than she is, and the boys have practice, so she knows they're free.

They head to Charlotte to check out a few department stores and high end boutiques, and the entire way there, Ginny and Brooke throw out ideas for colours and cuts and a whole lot of other stuff that Peyton doesn't care about nearly as much as they do. She tells them that as long as she finds something she likes that fits, she'll be good to go.

"You know, if you'd given me more than like, three day's notice, you could have had a Brooke Davis original," Brooke says as they browse racks at Neiman Marcus. "Ooh. You're trying this."

Peyton has her arms full of dresses the girls have picked for her, and she actually isn't complaining. They're giving her the option to veto - something Ginny never does - so she likes most of the things she's holding. However, this is the fourth store they've been in. She told them she always has luck here and they should hit it first. Brooke and Ginny seemingly wanted to prolong the shopping trip.

She takes the plum coloured gown from Brooke and drapes it over her arm.

"Miss Sawyer."

Peyton spins around to see the sales associate she generally talks to for things like this, and Brooke kinks her brow at Ginny. She'd never say it, but she's totally jealous of the way Peyton's treated sometimes. And she loves how humble Peyton is through it all.

"Olivia. Hi," Peyton says. "I have helpers."

"I can see that," Olivia laughs. "Come on. Let's get you started. Girls, if you find anything else, just bring it on in."

"Are you kidding? She has to show us everything," Ginny insists. "We're coming."

They all laugh as they head to the fitting room, and Brooke and Ginny take seats in the chairs by the mirrors and wait for Peyton to come out in option number one.

"So what's Nate wearing?" Brooke asks. "Because he's probably outgrown his tux."

"He owns a tux?" Peyton asks from the room.

"Yeah. His...Dan insisted that every man should own a tux," Brooke explained.

"I told him to go to Alan," Peyton says. "He does all my dad's suits."

"Can Nathan afford that?" Ginny asks bluntly.

"Ginny!" comes Peyton's muffled cry.

"What? It's a legit question." Ginny shrugs her shoulder and Brooke just shakes her head.

"He doesn't have to worry about money," Brooke says. "Trust me."

"I'm coming out," Peyton announces. "I really like this one."

She steps out and both Ginny and Brooke beam immediately, prideful smiles on their faces. It's one of the few dresses they actually agreed on - Brooke likes bright colours, Ginny doesn't - and Peyton looks amazing in it.

"Wrap it up," Ginny says, standing from her seat. "That's the one."

"I haven't tried any of the other ones!" Peyton says with a laugh. But she's thinking it's the one, too.

"It's perfect," Brooke insists sincerely. She links her arm through Ginny's. "We'll be in shoes."

Peyton just chuckles again and casts a glance towards an amused Olivia, who's taking the rest of the dresses from the fitting room. The blonde steps back in and changes back into her own clothes, knowing damn well that Nathan is going to _love_ that dress.

She really can't wait to see his reaction.

----

"Dude, you didn't have to come with me," Nathan says, looking at Robbie in the mirror.

He's standing in the tailor's shop with an insanely expensive Italian tuxedo on, and Alan, who's actually young-ish and really cool, is fitting it to Nathan's body.

"Forget it. Alan and I go way back," Robbie says. Alan chuckles as he makes measurements to cuff Nathan's slacks. "He cut me my first suit."

"When was that? Last year?" Nathan jokes.

"I was 11, thank you," Robbie corrects. "And anyway, I had to make sure you look more James Bond than senior prom."

"Please." Nathan scoffs and turns when he's prompted so Alan can do...whatever it is he's doing. "I just outgrew my own tux."

"I hate you. How are you still growing?" Robbie asks rhetorically as he looks through a selection of ties. Nathan just laughs and shakes his head. "You know, Peyton must really like you."

"What was your first clue?"

"It's just that she's never taken a guy to one of these parties before," Robbie explains, shrugging one shoulder.

"Julian?" Nathan asks with a confused look on his face. Robbie just shakes his head. "Really?"

"Yeah. She didn't want to have to worry about him. I guess she thinks you can hold your own with the politicians."

"I hope so."

"You'll be fine," Robbie insists. "It's not like she's going to leave you to fend for yourself anyway."

"Alright. We're all set here," Alan announces, gesturing for Nathan to step down off the platform. "I'll just make these few alterations and you can pick it up tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? That fast?" Nathan asks as he takes off the jacket.

"I don't mess around," Alan says, and Nathan nods appreciatively.

He pays with the credit card his mom gave him. When he'd called to tell her he was going to this party, and asked if he could spend some money, she'd actually laughed before she said, 'of course'. He came to realize that he isn't the same spoiled rich kid he once was. He is still spoiled, he's well aware, he just doesn't take it for granted anymore after all that happened in the last year.

"Come on. Let's get pizza or something," Robbie says. "I'm starving."

"Yeah, good," Nathan says as they step back out onto the street. "You can tell me why you haven't made things official with Brooke yet."

Robbie goes to speak, but Nathan just glances at him with a raised brow.

They make their way to that favourite little pizza place - everyone seems to love it - and Robbie explains that he's totally intimidated by Brooke. He says she's far too gorgeous and far too amazing for him, and Nathan looks at him like he's speaking gibberish. He tells his friend that Brooke has one of the kindest hearts he's ever known, and that she's been hurt a lot, but she still opens herself up to people when she thinks they're worth it. He says that she must think Robbie's worth it, just given the way she's been acting.

By the end of the evening, Robbie has decided to talk to Brooke and make sure they're on the same page. He's become pretty crazy about her since he met her, and especially in the few weeks she's been at Oak Lake, and he wants to be her boyfriend.

Nathan calls Peyton after he drops Robbie off at home, and she tells him she found a dress. He all but begs for details they both know he doesn't really care about; he doesn't want to know about the cut or the length or the designer.

He wants to know if she's going to look sexy in it.

She tells him he'll have to wait to find out.

He tells her she looks sexy in everything, so there's no real doubt anyway.

It's not late, so when she tells him to come over before he goes home, he's turning in the direction of her house before she even gets out the words.

He shows up and she's in just a pair of sweats and an Oak Lake sweatshirt with her hair pulled up messily. She's eating ice cream straight from the container, and she's got just a little bit of chocolate on her lip that he promptly kisses away.

"You really do look sexy all the damn time," he murmurs in her ear.


	18. Chapter 18

Oak Lake team wins their game the Friday night before the party the following evening, and one of the most important scouts on the east coast is there to watch Nathan play. He scores 31 points, and his defensive game is flawless, and when Peyton throws her arms around him in the parking lot, it makes the win just that much better.

She tells him that she has appointments the next day, but that a car will pick him up at 6:00. He asks what appointments she could possibly have, and she tells him she has a manicure and pedicure in the morning, then a hair appointment in the afternoon, then the girls are helping her with her makeup after that.

This party is sounding more and more important as the days go by. She tells him not to worry about it, and when he asks her for the millionth time what her dress looks like, she repeats that he'll just have to wait and see.

He spends his Saturday like he normally would, if he wasn't spending time with Peyton. He goes for a run in the morning, and he lets himself into the gym for a light practice. He's sweating as he jogs home, and he sees limousines and town cars driving through the little town, and he knows instinctively that dignitaries are in town for the very party he needs to get ready for.

He's more than a little surprised when there's a knock at his door on Saturday afternoon and he opens it to find Brooke standing there with a smile on her face. She's got her Oak Lake hoodie - well, actually, Robbie's Oak Lake hoodie - on with a matching yellow tank top and her jeans, and she brushes past him before he's even invited her in.

"The girls have Peyton covered. I'm here to help you get ready," she announces.

"It's a tux, Brooke. Kind of idiot proof," he tells her as he laughs.

"First of all, you're not an idiot. Second of all, I'm sure you can handle it, but Cath and I had a little disagreement, so I'm kind of steering clear of her for a bit."

"What'd you argue about?" he asks, showing concern as he sits next to her at the kitchen counter.

"Well, I was kind of talking about how I'm planning on sleeping with Robbie, and..."

"Over share," he groans.

"You asked!" she laughs, swatting his arm. "Anyway, she got all preachy and stuff, and I was like, if I wanted to be preached at, I'd go to a...to a..."

"Preacher?" he supplies, trying not to laugh at her.

"Exactly!" she cries, thankful that he understands, even if he is teasing her. "It's not like I'm telling her to have sex. I get the whole waiting till marriage thing, and I think it's awesome that she wants to do that, but...I don't."

"Too late anyway," he mumbles.

"Jerk!"

"True, though," he tells her, and she rolls her eyes.

"Like you haven't had your share of girls. Or a lot of guys' shares of girls," she says, her brow raised like a challenge. He probably doesn't want to argue with her about all this. They are, after all, the two most notorious former...well, let's just say their reputations are equally as colourful.

"Fair enough," Nathan concedes. "But that's all changed now. For both of us."

"Exactly," she says. "You know, it is kind of weird that you and I never..."

"Brooke," he says, shaking his head. "You're like a sister."

"Whatever! As _if_ you didn't try to sleep with me in ninth grade!"

"I tried to sleep with everybody in ninth grade."

"And you almost did," she jokes, smiling sweetly as he scowls.

"So, this conversation sucks," he notes, standing from his place. "Give me like, 10 minutes and you can critique my look."

"See this isn't fair. Peyton's taking all day to get ready. Hair, nails, wax." He raises his brow and shoots an amused smirk, and Brooke purses her lips and closes her eyes. "And I wasn't supposed to tell you that last part."

"I'll act surprised," he says boyishly.

"Gross! Nathan! Talk about over share." He shrugs one shoulder and pulls his tux, carefully tucked away in its garment bag, from the hall closet. "Anyway, it takes girls forever, and you are going to take 10 minutes. Not fair."

"Whatever. She could go in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt and still look amazing to me, so it's all kind of unnecessary anyway."

"Well, don't tell her that," she says as he walks down the hall. "We like to know that the effort is worth it!"

"Girls are fucking insane," he mumbles to himself once he's inside his room.

"What?!"

"Nothing!" he shouts back, shaking his head.

He changes rather quickly, thankful for the simple cummerbund and suspenders. He's also appreciative of Dan's insistence that every man know how to tie his own tie. Nathan's a master of the windsor knot and the perfect little bow, and hell, an ascot ("just in case", Dan used to say).

He checks himself in the mirror after he's pulled on his jacket - complete with black silk pocket square - and stepped into his shoes, and he actually smiles. _Damn_, he looks good.

He strolls out of his bedroom with one hand tucked into the pocket of his pants, and Brooke's eyebrows shoot skyward when she sees him.

"OK. What am I doing here?" she asks, standing from her place and walking towards him. "Whoever cut this suit is a _genius_. God. It's..._so_ perfect. The lines are...I need to meet your tailor."

"Not bad, huh?"

"Is this D&G?" she asks excitedly. "And the shoes!"

"Brooke, it's just a tux. And yes, it's all D&G." He glances down at his feet to the polished leather square toed slip ons. They are actually pretty nice, he has to admit.

"OK, I don't want to sound...weird or anything, but...You look hot as hell, Nathan," she says candidly. She also wants to tell him that he smells amazing, too, but that would sound a little creepy. "Peyton's going to lose her mind tonight. And probably her dress, too."

"Here's hoping," he says, grinning wolfishly.

"I can't believe her dad's letting you two share a room," Brooke says, shaking her head. "He's the coolest."

"He's awesome. He trusts me. I'm working on getting him to let me drive the Benz."

"Well, you never lacked charm, Nate. But the trust thing is nice," she says. Nathan's not used to having people trust him so quickly, and they both know it. He nods, and she looks at his hair with her eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Product. Pomade."

"No!" he insists, stepping backwards away from her. "No way."

"Just a little bit!" she says, pulling the very product she's talking about out of her purse. Why she has it, he has no idea. "Just for control!"

"I don't need control. Get out of here!" he laughs, pushing at her arm when she tries to reach up and tousle his hour.

He gives in eventually, when she starts whining about not getting to go to the party. They both know he's just letting her 'fix' his hair because he pities her lame Saturday night of sitting in her sweats and trying to catch up on the English she's still struggling with.

She leaves about 10 minutes before the town car arrives to pick him up, and it hits him that he's not really nervous about this at all. As Larry told him a few days before, the man's job is to make the woman on his arm looks graceful and beautiful.

With Peyton? Well, he's pretty sure that's going to be an easy job.

----

Claire and Catherine had some science benefit mixer thing (or something; Peyton forgot to pay attention when they were talking about it) and left Ginny and Peyton in the hotel room just after they'd finished helping the blonde with her makeup. They'd ordered room service for a snack - tradition, when they helped Peyton get ready for these parties - and lounged around in the room all afternoon, watching bad music videos on television and gossiping.

As mature as they are most of the time, they're still teenaged girls.

"So why aren't you going to this science thing?" Peyton asks, sitting in the wingback chair and sipping on her San Pallegrino through her straw, so not to smudge her lipstick.

"I made plans with Matt," Ginny answers. She pops a grape into her mouth and shrugs one shoulder like it's not a big deal that these two people who've known each other forever are now dating.

"You're blowing off a school thing for a _boy_?" Peyton asks in amusement.

"I don't break plans. You know that," Ginny says. "Besides, Matt's a better kisser than anyone at that party, so...You know."

"You guys are pretty serious," Peyton notes. They haven't had a lot of time to talk one on one lately, and it seems the G+M relationship (as Brooke has dubbed it) has been escalating rather quickly.

"He called me his girlfriend," Ginny says. "Which, I mean, I guess I am, but...we hadn't talked about it, and he just said it."

"That's fun though," Peyton says, nodding appreciatively.

"How'd you and Nathan do all that?"

"I stole his tie and told him about the tradition when I showed up the next day wearing it," Peyton explains as they both laugh.

"His tie! Dammit. I need his tie," Ginny says. "I'll get that tonight. Esther and Martin are out for the night, so..."

"Have you guys...?" Peyton asks, her voice trailing when Ginny shakes her head.

"I mean, there was that one time last year at Duncan's party, but..."

"What!?" Peyton shouts, leaning forward in her chair. "Wait...What?"

"We were drunk, and I didn't think he'd remembered, but he did, and it was...awkward."

"The sex was awkward? Or the after sex was awkward?" Peyton asks.

"The after. Because I didn't know he liked me, and I kind of didn't like him, but I felt something, and I was all confused, and...yeah," Ginny says, finishing softly, thinking about all the time she wasted without him. She's kind of crazy about him.

"And you call _me_ a secret keeper," Peyton mumbles. "I can't believe you never told me that."

"We promised we wouldn't tell anyone," Ginny says. "And the other day, he told me it was because it was too special for him to brag about."

"That's sweet," Peyton says in an adoring voice.

"Yeah. Real sweet. We were drunk on Goldschlager in Duncan's pool house, and we had to use _my_ emergency condom, because he didn't bring one of his own," Ginny says with a laugh.

"Well, it'll be better this time," Peyton assures her friend.

"Oh, I'm not worried about that. The sex was great. Like..._really_ great." Ginny wiggles her eyebrows, and Peyton just laughs and shakes her head.

"OK, enough girl talk," Peyton says as she stands from her place. "I have to get into my dress."

She walks to the little closet and grabs the dress of the hanger, and steps into the bathroom to pull the shimmery material over her head. She positions the straps perfectly, and she's actually amazed that after her whole day of getting ready, it takes all of two seconds to actually put the dress on, which is pretty much the most important part.

She walks back into the main part of the room, and Ginny shakes her head, and that tells Peyton that she must look OK.

"OK. Nathan is going to lose it when he sees you in this," Ginny says, handing Peyton her silver strappy heels.

"I hope so. I'm more interested in seeing him."

"You can't be worried about his clothes," Ginny insists. "Peyton, the guy makes his school uniform look like high fashion. Him in a tux? Forget it. And Robbie said he went with D&G, so he can't really go wrong."

"He could wear basketball shorts and a wife beater and still be the hottest guy there," Peyton says as she checks herself one last time in the mirror. "Well?"

"You look beautiful, Peyton," Ginny says sincerely. She stands behind her friend as Peyton takes a deep breath and smoothes out a couple imaginary wrinkles on her dress.

She's got about 10 minutes until Nathan arrives, and it hits her that she's insanely nervous. Her dad has always said that the man's job is to make the woman on his arm looks graceful and beautiful.

With Nathan? Well, she's pretty sure it's going to be impossible to look better than he will.

----

Mitch - Larry's driver who was sent to get Nathan - makes small talk the entire drive to the hotel. It's only 15 minutes across town, and Nathan actually likes the man. They talk about basketball and the party, and Mitch assures Nathan that these parties always look more important than they actually are.

The car pulls up to the hotel, and Mitch drives around to the side entrance before opening the door for Nathan, who insists he could have gotten the door himself. Mitch scoffs and shakes the young man's hand for some reason. Nathan doesn't question it.

He steps through the door, and there's someone with a headset - a party planner of some sort, he assumes - who asks his name and directs him to a small room to the left of where he entered.

He has no freaking idea what's going on.

After a few minutes, he hears the door open behind him, and when he turns around, it's like she's moving in slow motion. Her hair is pulled loosely off her face, with her curls pinned in place in a way that's somehow messy and elegant at the same time. She's got on diamond earrings and a diamond necklace that he can tell aren't fake. The deep, dark purple dress is satin or silk or something, and plunging in the back. It clings to her curves and flows down to her ankles, with a short train sweeping behind her. Its inch-wide satin straps sit perfectly on her shoulders, and he's completely lost for words.

"You look..." he starts, before letting out a breath of disbelief. "Wow."

"Thanks," she says softly. "You look hot."

"See, I was going for something a little more sophisticated than that," he teases. He's almost afraid to touch her, worried that he'll wrinkle her dress or smudge her lip gloss, but she steps towards him and his hands fall to her hips like they're meant to be there.

"Seriously. I mean, I expected you to look good, but this is insane," he says.

"Brooke called me and told me I'd swoon when I saw you."

"You swooning?" He's smirking at her, and she's running her hands over the lapels of his jacket.

"Big time," she admits. She leans up to kiss him gently, and he hums a little, feeling her bare skin beneath his hand at her back. "You ready for this?"

"Anything I need to know?" he inquires. His hands are almost shaking, but it's not because there are a few hundred people in the next room that he has to impress. It's because he wants to be good enough for her, and she's making it a little difficult to live up to that right now. Before she answers him, he speaks again. "You are so beautiful."

"Thank you," she whispers, cradling his cheek in her palm as she kisses his other one softly. "All you need to know is that only I'm allowed to call my dad, dad." They both laugh before she continues. "Everyone else, you included, has to call him Congressman Sawyer, or Mr. Sawyer. A few of his friends will call him Larry, but you shouldn't, which will probably drive him crazy, but it's all...appearances."

"OK," he says with a nod. He's been calling her father Larry since the first day he met the man, but he understands that it's about respect, and Nathan won't break tradition.

"And when we're walking, my arm should link through yours, or your hand should be on my back, but not too low. You're allowed alcohol, but two drinks maximum, and no bartender in the place will give you more than that. No one will expect you to remember names, but they'll probably all remember yours."

"What? Why?" he asks, as though it's the most absurd thing in the world.

"Because you're my date," she says teasingly, making him chuckle. "Oak Lake basketball is pretty much the most important thing in this town. You're the best player on the team. They know who you are, Nate." He looks at her, obviously surprised by that fact, and she slips her arm through his. "You ready for this, Superstar?"

"Sure," he says, kissing her temple. He really loves it when she calls him that.

"This way," she says, pulling him up a narrow flight of stairs. "We need to make an entrance."

"OK, you're scaring me right now," he laughs. "You are like, an expert at this."

"Daddy's little girl's been doing this since she was 10," she explains, looking at him over her shoulder. She catches him staring at her backside, but she can't really say anything, because she _is_ climbing the stairs in front of him, and he _is_ a guy, after all.

"I guess daddy wouldn't like the star ball player staring at his little girl's ass," he mumbles, and she turns around and hooks her arms around his neck. She's a step higher than he is, so their eyes meet.

"Probably not," she admits. "But she likes it."

"Easy," he warns. She smiles before kissing him quickly, then she pushes the door open and links his arm through his again before starting down the hallway.

There's pretentious art on the wall that he can tell she hates, and before he knows it, they're standing at the top of a long staircase, looking out over the large room that can only be described as a ballroom. There's a small stage with a jazz trio playing, a few bars set up, and a massive chandelier. The floor is marble and the draperies are a deep burgundy. It's shockingly similar to what he'd expected.

She glances at him once more before they start down the staircase, and he's unusually at ease with her on his arm as they draw looks from the guests of the party. She looks amazing, and he's perfectly fine with just being the one showing her off for the evening. All the attention's going to be on her, and he's more than happy to stand next to her while people gaze at the congressman's beautiful daughter.

Her father meets them at the bottom of the staircase and, for appearances only, he kisses her on the cheek and she kisses him on the cheek, as though they hadn't just eaten cold pizza for breakfast together that morning.

"Nathan," Larry says, shaking hands with the 'boy'. "Good to see you. You look almost good enough to escort my daughter for the night."

"Dad!" Peyton laughs.

"You look beautiful, honey," Larry says, resting his hand on her upper arm. He notices the way Nathan's smiling at Peyton. "Well, son, what do you think? The party stuffy enough for you?"

"Well, it looks like the scotch is flowing, so it probably won't be this way for long, sir," Nathan says, and they all laugh as they look towards the main bar where men are holding tumblers of amber liquid.

"It's Larry. Did she tell you to call me 'sir?"

"I just...I thought it was..." Peyton starts.

"It's Larry," the man insists. "Grab a drink, Nathan. Take care of my little girl for the evening."

"I fully intend to," Nathan says with a smile, sending a wink to his girlfriend.

Larry leans in to kiss Peyton's cheek again, and he whispers something into her ear. She just smiles at him before he excuses himself.

She turns to Nathan and slips her arm through his once more as he leads them to the bar.

"Look at you, all sophisticated," she says softly.

"It helps that you look like this."

"Stop it," she scoffs.

"I'll be too tongue tied all night to make a fool of myself by saying something out of place," he tells her.

She rolls her eyes at him as they cross the room, and neither of them notice that all eyes are on them. But all eyes should be on them. She's in a Carolina Herrera gown, and he's in a tuxedo that makes him look like he walked straight off the pages of Men's Vogue, and he's being such a gentleman - in such a natural way - that she's the envy of every woman of every age.

He orders a scotch and soda when they get to the bar, and she grabs a glass of Champagne, and they bump into the dean of art at their school, who evidently didn't know they were dating, and who gushes over their most talented artist and their most talented ball player together as an 'item'. Nathan and Peyton, always polite, go along with it, though it's obviously old news to just about everyone else who knows them.

They manage to grab some of the canapés that are circulating, and they chat with people when they need to. The rest of the time, they simply look like a young couple, talking and laughing, and innocently flirting. Little does everyone else know that they're talking about other guests and making up funny stories about people.

And any flirtation going on is not that innocent at all.

He tells her that as much as he loves that dress, he can't wait to get her out of it, and when he says it, he's leaning down to speak into her ear. His breath tickles her skin, and she can smell that amazing cologne of his, and she steals a glance at the clock on the wall, wondering how much longer they have to stick around. It's only been an hour and a half since they arrived. They can't leave yet. Dammit.

He's only had one drink, and doesn't intend on having any more - he, after all, made a promise to her father to take care of her - and she's on her second glass of Champagne.

"You are totally rocking this," she says during a lull in their conversation.

She looks up at him with her eyes shining with excitement and the same look of pride she has for him on game nights. Her makeup is flawless, not that it really matters - she's stunning either way - and she looks somehow in her element at the party, but completely comfortable with him, all at the same time. He has no idea how that is, but he doesn't question it.

And it hits him like a ton of bricks that he loves her.

He knows he's staring at her, but she's looking away, at an older couple on the dance floor who are holding each other like they're teenagers, obviously in love. He watches her as she smiles, and she's totally unaware that he's gazing at her, falling more and more in love every time she tucks that one loose curl behind her ear or fiddles with her diamond necklace.

"I want to be one of those couples, you know?" she muses after a sip of her drink. She looks over at him with an innocent smile and continues. "I want to be the old couple that holds hands and still dances together when they're 75."

He's about to respond when a couple who obviously knows Peyton intervenes. As it turns out, the man, Gary, is a former Oak Lake basketball player, and he and Nathan talk sports while Peyton and the woman, Amy, talk about the other women at the party and the dresses they love and hate.

For a quick moment that vanishes as soon as she feels it, Peyton thinks that just maybe she's already living in her future. Handsome man at her side, casting smiles when they catch each others' eyes, a glass of Champagne in her hand, and a woman next to her, telling her how much she admires Peyton's choice in men.

It was never the life she wanted, but she can see herself living it with Nathan. She can see herself living just about any life with Nathan. Ever since they returned from Tree Hill, she's felt closer to him somehow; like now that she understands his life before her, they're able to really move past it. She's glad. She's been in love with him since that day on Robbie's couch when one of her oldest friends pointed out that she had it bad for her boyfriend.

Gary 'steals' Nathan away to talk with some of the other men at the party while they smoke cigars on the balcony, and Peyton smiles at him as he walks away. Amy goes off to catch up with one of the women she hasn't seen in ages, and Peyton is waved over by her father to talk art with a curator of a gallery in Atlanta.

"Where's that boy?" Larry asks once he's left alone with his daughter.

"Somewhere talking basketball, no doubt," she says with a chuckle.

Sure enough, when she glances towards the other side of the room, she sees him laughing with a few of the 'distinguished' men, them clapping him on the back as he sips from his glass of club soda.

"Looks like he's well-received," Larry muses, smiling down at Peyton. "Sweetie, if you two want to leave, you're more than welcome. I can't imagine being here with all these politicians is how you want to spend your Saturday evening."

"I'm actually kind of liking seeing him in that tux," she says, making her father laugh heartily.

"I bet you are," he says. "Why don't you go rescue him from Dennis and Robert?"

"It actually looks like he's doing OK," she says, almost in disbelief as she watches Nathan talk, gesturing with his hands and holding his own among men over twice his age as they talk about something or another.

"With Dennis and Robert?" Larry asks skeptically. "Any man would want to be saved from that."

"Dad!" she hisses.

"What?" he asks innocently as he shrugs his shoulders. For a politician, he's really not crazy about politicians. "Go on, honey."

He winks at her as she hands him her empty Champagne glass, and he chuckles to himself as he watches her glide effortlessly across the room, secure and confident and beautiful, just like her mother was. He knows that his daughter is becoming more like Anna every day, and it surprises him, but he adores it. He wouldn't change it for the world.

Nathan sees Peyton approaching and not only is he thankful, but he's a little more speechless the closer she gets. She puts her hand on her hip when she's standing directly across from him among the older men, and she glances at Dennis.

"Can I have him back now, or are you going to talk his ear off all evening?" she asks, making them all laugh. It certainly doesn't take much to get laughs once these guys have had a few drinks.

"I'm sure he'd much rather be with a beautiful young woman than with us," Dennis says, just this side of pervy, like most men his age do.

"You're not kidding," Nathan jokes - but not really - with his eyes still fixed on his girl.

He shakes hands and says his farewells to the men, and places his hand on Peyton's back as they walk away from the crowd.

"Thank you," he whispers, making her giggle.

"Dad made me. I was going to leave you there," she tells him.

"Mean!" he says teasingly, moving his thumb gently on her bare skin. The band starts playing an old jazz song that he's never heard before, but it's slow, and that old couple starts dancing again. "Dance with me."

"You don't have to..."

"I know we're not 75 or anything, but come on. Don't make me ask again," he says with a smirk, holding his hand out, palm up, for her to take. She sighs, but smiles, and places her hand in his while they walk to the dance floor.

To her surprise, he actually knows how to dance. The proper way that she was taught as a young girl by her mother. The two of them would twirl around in the living room together, neither of them knowing just how useful that skill would be.

He can see that she's shocked, and he smiles down at her as he leads her around the floor.

"My mom taught me," he explains before she asks. "She said women love a man who can dance."

"Well, look at the women looking at you right now," she says softly. They both glance around and see several older women with smiles on their faces or their hands on their chests, thrilled to see a young man with such grace.

"I'm only interested in looking at you," he says honestly.

Her eyes shine a little more when he says the words, because they both know they're true, and she surprises him, and everyone else in the room, when she leans up and kisses him. It's nothing inappropriate, just her lips and his, but everyone seems to take notice. They've known her for ages, and whether she knows it or not, she's in love for the first time with a handsome boy with fantastic manners and impeccable charm.

"I love you," she says softly once she's pulled away. Her eyes are closed, and her words are almost sighed, and he kisses her forehead when she finally looks at him.

"I love you, too."

It feels like such a weight lifted off his shoulders to have said it, and he loves that she said it first, and he really loves the way her hand feels on his shoulder.

"Really?" she asks, looking up at him and nibbling her bottom lip gently.

"Of course," he says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Like he'd be crazy not to be in love with her. "I'm in love with you, Peyton."

She doesn't say it back, and that's alright, because she leans against him a little more and sighs in contentment, and he strokes her thumb with his gently.

She's never felt like this before. She knows there's no one else she'll ever feel it for, either, and she's not sure how that's possible, but she just _knows_.

The song ends and his palm finds her cheek, and he kisses her gently in a way that has her letting out a soft little noise that has his temperature rising.

When she asks if he wants to leave, they both laugh at how quickly he answers.

They say their goodbyes to everyone they need to say goodbye to, and when they're in her room, they start looking at each other in a whole new way.

A whole new_ in love_ way that's full of promises and assurances and all kinds of perfection.


	19. Chapter 19

She wakes up in the center of a king sized bed, feeling about two inches tall. She's got at least three feet of room to her right, and a very imposing (in the best of ways) body on her left. She smells him and senses him before she even opens her eyes, and he knows she's awake, so he runs his hand over her stomach.

He's been watching her sleep again. He doesn't care if she catches him this time.

"'Morning," he says quietly.

"I'm not going anywhere. Ever." She burrows a little closer to him, turning on her side and draping her leg over his.

"Ever?"

"Ever," she confirms, though it gets muffled against his skin.

"OK," he says, pulling her closer. The room is still dark since the blinds are pulled, and he likes it that way. "We can drop out of school, and I'll quit basketball. You won't ever be a kick ass famous artist, and we'll survive on room service." She says a muffled curse, and he laughs. "I suppose that's a fair trade."

"Trade for what?" she asks, pulling away to look at him.

"Sex." She swats him, and he laughs, because he was totally joking. "And having you all to myself."

"Nice save." He smirks at her in a way that makes her have to kiss him, then he rolls on his side so he's facing her.

"What time do we really have to leave?" he asks.

"Whenever. They won't kick us out."

"And your dad won't like, come in here and chase me out of bed?"

"He better not," she says seriously.

"Why?" he asks, fully expecting her to say that she loves him and she wants him to just hold her forever or something.

"Because you're naked. No one wants to see that but me," she says, laughing when he glares at her. "Well actually, I'm sure lots of girls want to see it."

"Stop it. I'm yours," he promises.

Her throat gets a little tight.

Because he _loves_ her. She loves that.

"All of you?" she asks, because it's geeky, and she'd never say it with any amount of seriousness, but she still kind of wants to know.

"Especially the fun parts."

"God, Nathan!" she cries, shoving him and moving away from him. "You're disgusting!"

He pulls her closer, moves so he's on top of her, and he apologizes when he's looking into her eyes. She's smiling, and she doesn't care that he's a little dirty sometimes. Actually, she really loves that he is.

_Loves_.

She's really never felt this way before. She's so incredibly happy that she's feeling it with him. And that he's feeling it too.

----

Walking into school Monday morning feels a whole lot different. Not because he's now a guy in love with an amazing girl who, if he hadn't promised (way back when) that he wouldn't, he'd probably let her know that he honestly feels like he'll marry her.

It's different with her, that feeling. It isn't the same rush. He doesn't feel like he needs to grab onto her and hold her and not let go and do whatever he can to convince her to stay with him forever. He just feels like sometime in the future, they'll probably end up married. It's a subtle, simple thing. He doesn't question it. It's just there. And it's OK. Sure, he's a teenaged boy and he probably shouldn't be thinking about it, but he is.

And after seeing her in that dress on Saturday, and in nothing most of Saturday night and almost all of Sunday, seeing her in her school uniform is just _so_ boring.

Not that she doesn't look hot. Of course she looks hot.

"Why are you all...like that?" she asks, eyeing him skeptically.

He's a little undone. His shirt is untucked, and his tie is undone, and his hair is wet and completely disheveled.

He looks damn good. She wishes they weren't at school.

"Doing something for you?" he asks, his brow kinked and a smirk on his lips.

"A lot of things," she says softly, thinking he won't hear her.

But he places his hands on her hips and presses himself against her, and apparently he's forgotten they're at school.

"I hate it here," he says. "I hate being 17."

"What does that mean?" she asks with a laugh, turning in his arms.

"I wish we didn't have school."

"Me too, baby," she says, locking eyes with him.

All she can think is that she wishes they had these mornings together every day, at one of their houses. It's funny, she thinks, because in all the other (well, the couple other) relationships she's been in, she could never picture a future at all. Not past high school. Not past even the school year.

With Nathan, she can see college sweaters, and cheering him on at games, and maybe sharing an apartment with him.

She can see beyond that, too, but she just doesn't want to admit it to anyone. She doesn't want to admit that she can maybe see rings and years and years of his innuendo and charm.

She grasps both ends of his tie and starts on a windsor knot, and they're both quiet until it's perfect. And even then, it's not one of them speaking.

"Well, well," Brooke says, in that way that's so very her. "Tell me you two didn't just have sex somewhere in this school."

"Brooke!" Peyton cries.

"Please. He's all a shambles."

"A shambles?" Robbie asks incredulously. "Doll, I don't think anyone says that."

He decided that he didn't want to call her a 'normal' pet name. He settled on doll. Brooke loves it.

They decided on the weekend to become a real couple. He had gone to Brooke's place, and she'd had every intention of sleeping with him, but he told her that he wanted it to be different with her. And that he hoped she wanted it to be different with him. Unlike with Lucas, when she'd been so dead set on having him prove his feelings, the simple things Robbie says and does are showing her that he's crazy about her. The thing is? She doesn't have to ask. That's the whole idea.

"We didn't," Nathan intervenes, because this could go on forever. "I just had a rough workout."

"We didn't have practice today," Robbie says in confusion.

"I know we didn't. I did," Nathan says, shrugging his shoulder. The rest of them shake their heads, but he doesn't get what the big deal is. He's never been a stranger to a little extra work.

And besides, they don't know that he's got a scout coming from Duke to watch him play on Friday. Coach Jennings told him last week, and he had planned on telling Peyton on the weekend after the party but, well, they got up to other things instead.

He'd be more nervous if he didn't know how good he is. It sounds bad - arrogant and conceited - but all he's known since he was old enough to dribble a ball, is that he's better at it than anyone else. The thing now, is that he's got the heart to go along with it. He wants to succeed. He wants to play the game with a good bunch of guys, and make lasting friendships and win titles while he's at it. He wants to show all that on the court, play his game, and impress the scout with what he can do.

And he really fucking wants to get into Duke.

"Anyway, I was just..." Peyton says before she's interrupted.

"Tying his tie," Robbie finishes. "It's not rocket science, Peyton."

"Come on," Nathan says, hastily tucking in his shirt. "Let's just get to english."

Robbie and Brooke walk off down the hall holding hands, and Peyton goes to follow them, but Nathan grabs her wrist before she can get too far.

"Hey," he says as he pulls her back towards him.

"What?" she asks in confusion, looking up at him.

Stupid school, she thinks.

"I love you," he says softly. He doesn't know why he feels he needs to say it. It doesn't really matter, he thinks. And then she smiles, and he's glad he decided to do it.

"I love you, too," she whispers before leaning up to kiss him. She hums against his lips.

Fucking school, he thinks.

If the rest of the year is going to be like this, he's not really sure how he's going to get through it.

But when she starts off towards their class, he knows exactly how. As long as she's walking to class, he'll follow her. He's seriously considering talking to his guidance counsellor and making sure they have as many classes together as possible next semester.

----

They're laying on her bed in their uniforms, just because they came straight from school and the only clothes he has in his bag are sweaty basketball shorts and his practice jersey. She could change, but he boyishly told her she wasn't allowed. He was definitely joking, but he definitely loves that she didn't put on something else.

"This is stupid," he claims, flopping onto his back and closing his book in frustration. It's the day before his big game, and he hasn't told her about the scout yet. She doesn't know that's what his stress is stemming from.

"It is not. It's Romeo and Juliet."

"Stupid."

"It's a love story!" she says. "It's all tragic and beautiful. She loves him but she's not allowed. It's all stolen glances and moments of weakness. It's amazing."

"They should have just moved on. Everyone would have been happy, no one would have died. None of that poetic_ 'what light'_, shit," he says.

"Shut up. It's gorgeous."

"They die."

"For love!" she cries. "Read it to me."

"Not a _chance_," he says, laughing at the absurdity of it.

"Nathan, read it to me," she says softly, turning from her stomach onto her side so she can look at him. "Please."

"Don't get cute," he pleads, shaking his head at the face he knows she's getting ready to make. "Seriously. If you bat your eyes, I'll..."

She flutters her lashes and he lets out a sigh. That gets him every damn time.

"Read it. Any page. Just read something to me," she insists.

"Now I know how Lucas feels." He's already picking up the book again.

"Excuse me?" she asks with a laugh.

"He uses books and shit to woo girls all the time," he says.

"All the time?"

"Well, no. He's kind of a loser. Or he was. He's not so bad now, but..."

"You miss him?" she asks seriously, propping herself up on her elbow.

"No," he answers quickly.

He's almost ready to start reading, just so he doesn't have to have this conversation.

"Nate," she just says. She always knows when he's not being entirely honest with himself.

"It was kind of nice having a brother," he admits, shrugging his shoulder like that statement isn't such a huge deal.

"You still have a brother."

"Biologically."

"You could...I mean, if you wanted to..."

"I know," he says softly. "But I'm not sure I want to."

She smiles and runs her hand through his hair at his temple before she kisses him and speaks into his ear. "Read to me."

He sighs dramatically and she takes the book from his hands, opening to a specific page. she points to a block of text, and he reaches for the book again.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand. This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims ready stand. To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

She smiles and kisses his cheek. That was pretty damn hot. He looks at her like she's crazy. He has absolutely no idea what the hell he's just said.

"You know what that means?" she asks.

"Not a clue."

She moves to sit on his lap, placing her hands on his chest and toying with one of the buttons of his shirt as he lays on his back.

He hates that they don't have the house to themselves.

"He's telling her he loves holding her hand," she says, intertwining their fingers. "And that he wants to kiss her. That it'll take away his sins if he kisses her."

"And what does she say?" he asks.

He never would have decoded all that, but he stops caring pretty quickly. She's straddling his lap, looking down at him with those gorgeous eyes, and he's really starting to think that if she uses this tactic to teach him the rest of this stupid play, he might actually start to enjoy it.

"She says she isn't going to kiss him, but he can kiss her."

He smirks and his free hand finds her thigh, just where her skirt stops so his hand finds bare skin. OK, so he slips his fingers just beneath the hemline, but it's nothing too obscene.

"Then what happens?"

"He kisses her." He tries to sit up a little, but she won't let him. He likes it. "Then they tease each other a little, and she basically tells him that if he wants to kiss her, he can just kiss her."

"Can I just kiss you?" he asks, smirking boyishly up at her.

"No," she answers shortly. "I'm going to kiss you, though."

He raises his brow and ponders for a moment, then says, "I'll allow it."

She laughs as she leans down and presses her lips to his, and he tries to take his hand from hers, but she won't let him do that either. He smirks against her lips, but she just keeps right on kissing him. He would have hated it if she'd stopped. She uses her free hand to start unbuttoning his shirt, but he pushes her away just a little bit.

"Your dad's home."

"We'll be quiet," she says enticingly, shrugging her shoulder in a devious way.

"Peyton..."

"Nathan," she almost whispers. "Shut up and kiss me."

She's demanding and serious, and he's a little scared of what will happen if he doesn't do what she's telling him to. And when it's something as enjoyable as fooling around with his amazing girlfriend, he's happy to be bossed around.

She's just undone the last button of his shirt, and his hand is hidden beneath her skirt (thankfully just caressing her thigh and nothing more) when the door swings open.

"Daddy!" Peyton cries, sitting up again. She's just happy she's wearing clothes. She really needs to start locking the door.

"Sorry," he says, turning away a little. "I should have knocked."

Nathan is worried. Not only because he's just been caught with his hand up his girlfriend's skirt, but because she's still on top of him, and his body is still reacting in certain ways, and if he has to move (like if Larry kicks him out), that's not going to be comfortable for anyone.

"We're just...studying Romeo and Juliet," Peyton says. It's not really a lie, but she puts a little effort into making it sound convincing.

Larry kinks his brow as he looks back towards her. Nathan's got his hands clasped on his chest now, Peyton straddling him, and her hands are on her hips. Larry almost wants to laugh. He's not naive. He knows their relationship is serious. He's talked with her to ensure she's being safe.

But there's _no way_ they're studying Shakespeare.

"Honey," he says, shaking his head. "If you're going to lie, make it believable."

"Dad!" she shouts again, though Nathan is laughing beneath her. He really loves her dad.

"Lock your door," he insists. "Or go to Nathan's," he adds as an afterthought once he's in the hall. "Nathan, you're staying for dinner!"

Nathan's still laughing when Peyton leans down and buries her face in his chest as she groans. He rubs her back and kisses her hair, and she doesn't move, other than to run her hands up his sides.

"We need to start doing homework at your place," she says.

"Or to stop fooling around long enough to actually _do_ homework," he argues.

"That's not as fun," she insists, almost pouting as she sits upright again.

"I know. But it doesn't involve me in a compromising position with you. He's going to start hating me if he catches me like this again."

"Like what?" she asks, shifting a little in his lap. They both know damn well what he means. The evidence of that is beneath her.

"Ready to rip your clothes off," he says gruffly. She kisses him quickly, then straightens out her shirt, and he takes a sharp breath. "You have to get off me."

"I do not. I don't have to do anything I don't want to," she says defiantly, putting her hands on her hips again.

"Seriously. Move."

"No."

"Peyton," he says. They both know that he could easily get her to move. He's a hell of a lot stronger than her. "I can't go to dinner...like this."

"Well," she says seductively, "if I stay on top of you..."

"Stop it," he says firmly. "The door's open. Your dad's here. Stop trying to seduce me."

"You're too stubborn," she pouts, rolling off him and onto her back. "It's boring."

"Boring!?" he asks, almost shouting.

"You always tell me what to do."

"And you only do it if you want to," he reminds her.

"Maybe. But...whatever. Just because you're some hot shot basketball player, doesn't mean you can just boss me around."

She's definitely joking. He doesn't boss her around, and she doesn't boss him around either. He's stubborn, but she almost likes it. She definitely does. It's all a part of that attitude she loves so much.

"I want to tell you something," he says. She rolls onto her side and looks at him questioningly. "But...it's big. I'm kind of nervous."

"Are you pregnant?" she jokes. It's not funny. He smiles a little, though.

"Peyton, I'm serious," he says, turning on his side so their eyes meet.

"What is it?" she asks.

"Have you ever heard of David Mathisson?"

"The head scout for Duke basketball," she says slowly, the pieces falling into place.

He can't even verbalize how damn sexy it is that she knows that piece of knowledge.

"He's coming to the game tomorrow," he tells her.

"Nathan!" she says excitedly. "That's...Oh my God." She takes his hand in hers and brings it up between them. "Wait. He is coming for you, right?"

"Yes, babe," he says, smiling over her happiness.

"Who all knows? Do the guys know?"

"No. Just you, me and Coach Jennings."

"Why?" she asks, shaking her head. "When Penn State came to look at Aaron last game, he told everyone."

"I know. I just don't want to...get my hopes up or something," he admits quietly.

"Nathan, you're an amazing basketball player. You know that. If it's not Duke, it'll be somewhere else," she says reassuringly.

"But...What about you?"

"What about me? I don't have enough game to impress David Mathisson," she says jokingly. Nathan sighs and she laughs.

"I mean...if I don't go to Duke."

"Then I'll be a Duke fan most of the time, and a Nathan Scott fan all the time," she says, smiling at him as he closes his eyes.

She's got all the right words, doesn't she?

"And...I mean...I can kind of get in to any school," she says, almost reluctantly. She knows her father's position and her subsequent social status allow for some strings to be pulled. In fact, she's pretty much already been guaranteed her spot at Duke.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that...maybe if you don't go to Duke, I won't go to Duke," she says quietly, really hoping that he won't be mad or scared about her saying something like that.

"You'd do that?" he almost whispers. He's not sure why he can't find his voice. He thinks it might be lost amid some kind of promise that they're not really saying, but they're not really not saying, either.

"I love you," she says, shrugging her shoulder like it's nothing and that's her answer.

He kisses her full on the lips, and she slides her hand into his open shirt. They both know they have to go downstairs for dinner, then finish their homework, and there's no way they're going to be doing anything more than that and maybe a few kisses. But it's not about that.

He's kissing her because she's willing to do anything for him. He's kissing her because, even if he got into Duke and she didn't, he'd probably reconsider going there, too. Well, maybe.

He tells her that he loves her against her lips, and as they stand from the bed and head for the door, he thanks her.

She doesn't really know what he's saying thank you for. She just likes the way his hands feel on her hips. And she doesn't really want to ever not have the chance to feel that.

It's not Duke or nothing for her. He tells her later that night that maybe it's not Duke or nothing for him, either.


	20. Chapter 20

Walking towards the gym on Friday night before the game, Nathan hears a few players on the opposing team talking about the scout they somehow know is in the crowd. One of them, a player he knows from the camp he went to in the summer, is talking about how he's going to take the spotlight off 'that punk Nathan Scott' and impress that scout himself.

Nathan has always hated Damien.

He's convinced that the guy tried to injure his already hurting knee in a scrimmage mid-way through their camp. After that, Nathan and Damien merely tolerated each other, and even that would have been a generous description. More than once, they almost came to blows.

And so Nathan promises himself he's not going to let the guy steal his look from the scout. He's not going to do anything stupid. He's just going to play the game of his life.

He walks past the group of players with confidence, because he has no reason not to. He knows they'll know he's heard what Damien said, and he doesn't care. They probably also know that he's going to use that as fuel to push himself a little harder. They all have to know that's a scary thought.

Peyton is outside the boys' locker room when he gets there, standing in her cheerleading uniform with her hair in a perfect ponytail, tied in place with one of those gold ribbons.

Which reminds him...

He pulls that yellow ribbon of hers, the one she told him to keep for luck, out of his pocket.

"What's this?" she asks.

"My good luck charm," he says. "I wear it on game days."

"You do not," she says, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I do!"

"Where?" she asks, kinking her brow and crossing her arms.

"In my shorts."

"Nathan!" she hisses, her eyes wide.

"I do!" he laughs, resting his hand on her hip. "I loop it through the drawstring."

"That's...kind of sexy," she says softly, letting her hand rest on his forearm.

"So what are you doing here?" he asks, changing the subject.

"Wishing you good luck." She shrugs her shoulder and bats her lashes, and he shakes his head. "You're going to do great."

"I know," he says, making them both laugh.

"I have something to show you," she says softly, glancing around the hall.

"What's that?" She pulls his arm so he's standing close to her, blocking the entrance to the hall and shielding her a little bit. He looks at her, confused, and says, "what...?"

"Just stand there," she insists. He raises his brow, wondering what the girl is up to now.

She locks eyes with him and lifts up her skirt at the back, and there on her cheer bloomers, just next to the seam just above her thigh (read: on her ass) are his initials. NS in gold stitching, on her uniform in a totally sneaky and sexy way.

"That's...so hot," he manages. His eyes are still fixed on those two little letters (read: on her ass) until she lowers her skirt again.

"Brooke did it. She did hers and Ginny's too," she explains.

"So I've got you in my shorts, and you've got me in your skirt," he says, grinning boyishly. "Sounds about right."

"Go get ready," she says with a laugh. "I'll see you out there."

"Hey," he says, grabbing her arm before she can walk away, "I love you."

"You sure say that a lot," she says, smiling at him as he slips his thumb just beneath her top at her hip.

"I mean it a lot." He kisses her before she can comment, and she pats his chest before she walks away.

She realizes when she's about 10 feet away that she didn't say it back, and when she turns around, he's standing there with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face, like he's just waiting for her to say the words.

"I'm not saying it now," she says. He laughs and winks at her and she rolls her eyes before she heads back into the girls' locker room.

He knows that was her way of saying those words. He's perfectly fine with it.

But as soon as he gets her alone again, he's still going to make her say it.

----

He's been dealing with Damien's trash talk all night, and Nathan's getting a little sick of it. It's late in the third, Oak Lake is up by only three, and Damien has the ball. He's facing the basket, and he's so focused on Nathan in front of him that he doesn't even notice the rest of the players on the court. Nathan knows that's a childish mistake, and he can see it happening. He doesn't make any sudden or obvious gestures, but he glances at Aaron, and his teammate comes over and steals the ball from Damien easily.

After Aaron passes the ball to Nathan, he goes in for a dunk that's far too easy, and he can't help but smile at Damien as he passes him on the court.

Nathan is almost happy that he's got Damien to deal with; it takes his mind off the scout that's sitting somewhere in the stands. It also helps that he's been making a fool of the guy all night - that scout isn't going to be too impressed by Damien with the way Nathan's dominating the game. But that's not really anything new.

He sits on the bench for a few minutes at the beginning of the fourth, and Matt is next to him.

"I hate that guy," Matt says, jutting his chin towards the guy who's trying to get open playing against Aaron.

"I know," Nathan agrees.

"That explains why you're been destroying him all night." Matt bumps Nathan's shoulder with his, and the two share a little laugh. "Keep it up, Nate. We're winning this game."

"Hell yeah, we are," Nathan agrees, knocking their fists together before they jog back onto the court.

Peyton winks at him from the sidelines and he smiles as he heads down the court away from her. She's not a distraction anymore. She grounds him. She makes him feel at ease, somehow, just by being there. He knows he has her support no matter what, win or lose, and it almost soothes him. He'll look at her and it'll calm his nerves. That feels somehow like the biggest thing she's done for him.

The game is tied in the dying seconds, but again, Damien has the ball and he's too focused on being smug to do anything with it. Nathan steals, drives to the net and slams the final two points to give Oak Lake the win. The crowd goes crazy and Nathan sighs his relief as he smiles. He loves winning. He loves _beating people_ even more. They are two different things.

Damien's still chirping at Nathan as he makes his way to the locker room door, and Nathan just shakes his head, but doesn't engage in an altercation; he knows Damien's just trying to goad him into making a fool of himself in front of the scout. As childish as it seems, walking away really is the best choice.

Peyton watches Nathan as he's introduced to David Mathisson by Coach Jennings, and she smiles from where she stands. She didn't know Brooke's still in the gym though.

"Who's that?" Brooke asks, pointing subtly to the three men on the other side of the room.

"OK...don't say anything," Peyton says quietly. "But that's the scout from Duke."

Brooke's eyes go wide and she smiles. "Oh my God."

"Yeah," Peyton sighs, watching Nathan laugh at something that was said. He looks like a pro already, if you ask her.

"He was amazing tonight," Brooke says. "That's so...wow. That's his dream."

"I know," Peyton says softly. She takes a deep breath and she and Brooke lock eyes. They both laugh a little, then link their arms together and head for the door. There's a party - a real party, as Brooke is so grateful for - at one of the players' houses, and they have to get ready.

----

They're all holding court in the kitchen of this big house they're in, and Peyton and the girls don't seem fazed by it at all. Nathan isn't really, either, he just wishes he wasn't the only guy standing there with Peyton, Brooke, Claire, and Ginny. Catherine was on the way to Richmond to visit her dad immediately after the game, so she couldn't come to the party.

"Shots for Scott," Brooke says, reaching for a bottle of...something. It's something she used to say all the time, and something he used to participate in all the time.

"Brooke..."

"Don't punk out on me!" she whines. "This is our _thing_, Nate. You don't want to ruin _our thing_, do you?"

The girls all laugh as Nathan smiles and shakes his head, and he rolls his eyes when Brooke sticks out her bottom lip and bats her lashes dramatically.

"One," he insists, holding up his index finger for emphasis. "Where the hell is your boyfriend? I need him to control you for me."

Her jaw drops and her eyes go wide, and the other girls seem to hold their breath, waiting for a real reaction from Brooke. Nathan just raises one eyebrow in amusement. It's so easy to get her all worked up. He's been doing it for years, and he's a pro.

"Hey, Nathan?" she says, looking at him from the corner of her eye as she pours, "remember when you were almost in a coma and you had a dream I was naked?"

"Uh...what does that have to do with anything?" he asks. He surveys the looks on the girls' faces, however, and when he gets to Peyton's kinked brow, incredulous look, and crossed arms, he knows what his friend is up to. "Thank you, Brooke."

"That's usually what guys say after they see me naked," she says sweetly, shrugging her shoulder. Everyone laughs as she hands him his shot glass. He glares at her, but takes his drink, and he sighs loudly when she hands him another, but he figures he owes it to her to have one more.

"Dreaming about her naked?" Peyton asks.

"No! It wasn't...I...I almost _died_, and this is what you're dwelling on?" he asks, turning to her a little more. She rolls her eyes dramatically and he kisses her cheek, and they both know she didn't really care anyway. He's just whispered that she's way sexier than all the other girls, when Matt and Robbie walk into the room.

"What's going on?" Matt asks, observing the way Nathan is leaning into Peyton, speaking into her ear.

"Apparently Nathan thinks of Brooke naked, and it's a whole big thing," Ginny says, unable to keep herself from laughing.

"You are _not_ helping," Nathan says. He points to her and scowls, but Peyton slips her hand into his back pocket, and he knows she doesn't care.

"OK...What?" Robbie asks, looking to his girlfriend. Brooke sends him an innocent look and he narrows his eyes. She starts telling the story, Ginny and Matt are off in their own little world, and Claire is talking with Nathan and Peyton about something or another.

None of them seem to like the fact that Damien West strolls through the front door with a menacing grin on his face. For a guy who just lost a basketball game, it's strange for him to be smiling and attending a party on enemy grounds.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Claire asks, looking up at Nathan who, she notes, doesn't look impressed.

"Don't know," he manages. Peyton feels him tense next to her, and she slips her arm around his waist.

"I guess he doesn't think losing is enough humiliation," Ginny mutters. "I swear, that guy is such a perv."

"Ginny," Peyton says, shaking her head.

"What?" Nathan asks. He glances at the other two guys, who just shake their heads in disdain for the opposing player.

"West is just...he tends to be a little..." Peyton tries.

"Hands-y," Claire finishes. "Especially with Peyton."

"Claire!" Peyton cries. She looks up at Nathan and the less than impressed look on his face. "It's nothing."

"Why do I get the feeling it's not nothing?" Nathan asks. Robbie laughs humourlessly, and Peyton throws him a look. Nathan trains his eyes on her and asks, "what?"

"Nathan, it's nothing," she insists.

"OK, no it isn't," Robbie says, unable to hide the tinge of anger in his voice. "He like...forced himself on her."

"What?!" Nathan almost yells.

"Nathan," Peyton tries, but he cuts her off.

"Tell me the whole story," he demands, and the way he's look at her makes her take a deep breath. She knows she needs to tell him.

"It was...a party," she starts softly, though she knows everyone's listening. "Right at the end of the year. Julian and I had just broken up, and it was right before High Flyers. He was there, and..."

"And what?" he asks. His tone is harsher than his touch. He's got one hand on her waist, and she's finding it comforting.

"I wasn't really drinking, but I had a beer, and...he got me another one. He...I went outside, he followed me, and...It really wasn't that bad."

"Peyton," Matt says, shaking his head. His brow is creased. She's always downplayed that incident.

"You guys suck for making me tell this story," she says, looking past Nathan to her group of friends. None of them look apologetic in the slightest. "He just tried to...He asked if I wanted to leave with him, and I didn't. He said we could stay, then he got all creepy and...he kind of grabbed me and wouldn't let me go."

"Fucker," Nathan breathes out, looking into the other room for the guy he now really wants to punch.

"I pushed him away and stuff, but..."

"But I had to step in and kick the guy's ass," Robbie finishes, just a bit of pride mixed in with the ire in his tone.

"It wasn't much of a fight," Ginny says. "Damien went down pretty fast."

Nathan sighs and pulls Peyton a little closer, and if they were alone together, he'd tell her that he's sorry that guys are such jerks and that she had to go through that. He'd tell her that he'd never treat her like that (though she already knows) and that he loves her and he'll protect her against anything like that happening again.

"So what the hell is he doing here?" Brooke asks.

"Who knows?" Ginny says, shrugging her shoulder. "The guy has like, a third of a brain."

"But we won," Matt says. "He has no business even still being in town. Unless he wants Peyton."

He's not joking, and they all know it, and when Damien eyes her from across the room, Nathan actually smirks. The guy can look all he wants; Peyton's going home with Nathan and nothing's going to change that.

And it's just so fun to be smug.

"So I won the game and I get the girl?" Nathan says, slipping his arm around Peyton's shoulder, just because he wants to. "Nice."

They all laugh, because they know that there's now way West is going to lay a finger on Peyton, and that if he tries, he'll regret it pretty much immediately.

Apparently, Damien isn't quite as quick to catch on as everyone else. He walks right over to their group and has that stupid look on his face that he seems to always have. For a guy who's on a 7-10 team, he's awfully cocky.

"Nathan Scott."

"West, you say that like you didn't just watch me school you on the court," Nathan says. "What do you want?"

"You mean besides your hot little girlfriend?" Damien asks, eyeing Peyton in a way that has Nathan, Robbie and Matt clenching their fists. "Has she told you all about our history?"

"History?" Nathan balks. "You mean how you're a dick who got his ass handed to him?"

"Is that what she told you?" Damien says, shaking his head as he looks at Peyton. "She may have left out a few things."

"Stop it," Peyton demands, her tone low and kind of scary.

"Peyton, what's he talking about?" Ginny asks.

"Nothing. He's...nothing," Peyton insists.

"Nothing? You call making out at a party nothing?" Damien challenges.

"Most people do," Brooke says, putting her hand on her hip.

"And dating for a month afterward?" Damien adds.

"What?" Robbie asks, turning to Peyton. That was a detail none of them knew.

Nathan just looks at Peyton, and the hurt in his eyes almost breaks her heart. Sure, Damien is exaggerating quite a bit - their relationship had barely gotten off the ground before she realized what kind of guy he is - but she hadn't told Nathan, or anyone else, about it. She knows that's the problem.

She fucking hates Damien West.

"Back off," she warns the guy, who's still wearing that stupid grin he always wears.

He reaches out and trails his hand down her arm and she yanks it away from him and looks at him like he's crazy.

"Come on, baby," he says, stepping closer.

He's about to say more when Nathan steps in front of him, grabs him by the collar and shoves him backwards away from Peyton. She reaches forward and rests her hand on Nathan's arm, but he shrugs her off a bit, which he's never really done before. It hurts her that he's acting like this, but she knows it's probably her own fault for not just telling him. Truthfully, she just didn't really think it was necessary. She doesn't know the details of every relationship he's ever had either.

"What's the matter? Think she's the perfect girl?" Damien asks sardonically. "Far from it."

That's all it takes for Nathan to punch the guy square in the face, sending him stumbling backwards until he hits the wall. Damien raises his hand to his eye, and suddenly he doesn't have anything to grin about. It might be the first time Nathan's ever seen Damien with a straight face.

"Nathan!" Peyton shouts. "What are you..."

"Don't," he tells her coldly, turning to look at her. He knows they have an audience, that all their friends are there, but he really doesn't want to talk to her.

"Let's go," she says.

"I'm not...I'm going home. Alone," he says. "You can do what you want."

"Nathan, come on." Peyton takes his hand in hers and pulls him away from the crowd just a little bit. Once again, she's the one who's got everyone speechless. No one knew about she and Damien. She had wanted it to stay that way. She should have known that it wouldn't.

"Peyton. _Damien_? I mean...Damien _fucking_ West?" Nathan asks angrily. "That's pretty fucking low."

"Excuse me," she says indignantly. "This was in freshman year. It's not like it was yesterday. And like you're one to judge."

"What does _that_ mean?"

"_As if _you didn't sleep with half of Tree Hill High before Haley came along. Or hey," she says with a bitter laugh, "maybe you didn't. I wouldn't know, because we never _talk_ about _your_ dating history."

"That's nice, Peyton. Turn it around on me." He shakes his head and pulls away from her a little more.

"You _can't_ be pissed at me for this!" she says in frustration. "You can't be mad at me for something that happened before we even met."

"Pretty sure I can. You just told that fucking sob story, when really, maybe he just thought you still had feelings for him," Nathan says coldly.

"Are you...You're seriously saying that it's my fault that he almost...did whatever he was going to do?" she asks. There are tears in her eyes that she hates, but this really feels like a fight they might not make it back from. Somehow, she thinks this is big. He's certainly making it bigger than it needs to be. "That's...That really hurts, Nathan."

"You don't think it hurts me to find out my girlfriend fucked my arch nemesis?" He knows his words are crude, and he knows he's jumping to conclusions, but there's a part of him that wants to hurt her, and he hates it, but he can't help it. She's hurting him, too.

"I didn't...Wow," she says, wiping her cheeks and taking a step away from him. "You know what? You can talk to me when you're not being such a hurtful bastard. Or actually? Don't bother."

She walks away, back to the group that was just far enough away not to hear the conversation that just took place. They know, however, that it was bad. Nathan's got his jaw set and he's rubbing the back of his neck, and Peyton has tears on her cheeks.

"Brooke, can you drive me home?" she asks. Her throat is tight, making her voice hoarse.

"I've had a couple drinks," Brooke says, shaking her head. Peyton can tell her friend doesn't want to say no, but she has to.

"I'll take you," Robbie says, stepping forward and placing his hand on her shoulder. He shoots Nathan a look, though he's not sure what it means. He understands Nathan's situation, but he's always immediately protective of Peyton, and he can't just let someone upset her like this and be alright with that. He's truly been put in the middle.

All Nathan can do is watch her leave. He can't bring himself to go after her or talk to her or apologize. He's not sure he's the one who should be sorry at all. He catches Brooke's eye, and he knows she wants to talk to him about everything, but he just shakes his head in her direction and walks towards the front of the house to leave. He waits on the porch until he sees Robbie's car pulling away, then he reaches for his keys.

He hates to admit that his heart is breaking in his chest.

Peyton sits in Robbie's car, pretending that she isn't crying.

"Peyton..."

"No. Just...don't say anything," she says pleadingly. "Please."

"OK," he says quietly. She lets out a sob that she couldn't hold in, and he reaches for her hand. "It'll be OK."

She looks out the window and pulls her hand from his and says, "maybe not."


	21. Chapter 21

It's all Nathan can do to keep himself laying in his bed. Or in his apartment at all. He wishes he had the River Court. He wishes he could take his aggression out on the ball; send up shot after shot and feel like he has control over something. Anything.

He really doesn't want to be mad. Maybe he shouldn't be. So Peyton had a silly, short-lived, adolescent relationship with someone before she met Nathan. It's not a big deal. The big deal is that she didn't tell him about it. He'd told her about how much he hated the guy. He'd told her stories from High Flyers, and she hadn't said a word.

The even bigger deal, is that he's told her every detail about his marriage ending and his relationship with Haley, and Peyton doesn't seem to think he deserves the same courtesy. Of course, it's not really the same situation, but it makes sense to him. Why would she hide it? Surely, she isn't proud of it, but still. She should have told him.

He's pissed that she didn't.

Not long after he gets home, there's a knock at his door, and he really doesn't want to open it. But he has to. If it's her, and she's out there, he's not going to ignore her. But deep down, he knows it's not her. It's not her style to come over after a fight. They haven't had many. This is bigger than all of them combined.

He pulls the door open and Robbie walks inside without being invited, though Nathan doesn't really care.

"You get her home OK?" Nathan asks after a few moments of silence.

"I got her home. She's not OK, man," Robbie says seriously. "What the hell?"

"She dated that guy!" Nathan almost shouts. He points to the side of the room, for a reason he doesn't really know, but he just needs something to do with his hands.

"She's in love with _you_!"

"Yeah, well..."

"Well nothing," Robbie says. He's not impressed. Peyton wouldn't say details, but she said Nathan said some awful things, and as much as Nathan is Robbie's friend, Peyton's like his sister. "She's in love with you. And I mean...Nate, man, you were married."

"Don't make this about that," Nathan insists, shaking his head.

"I'm just saying. It wouldn't kill you to be a little more understanding. At least hear her out," Robbie says. "You love her, too."

"Yeah, but..."

"There's no but! You love her. End of story."

Robbie walks out the door before Nathan can find anything to say, and he's left speechless long after his friend has left.

Robbie's right. There is no _but_. He loves Peyton, and that's all there is to it. It doesn't matter that she's dated someone, no matter who that was. He loves her, and she's accepted his messed up past. Not only that, but she's helped him through it.

He's an idiot. He's really fucked up.

----

Peyton is surprised when the person who shows up at her door that night is Brooke. She would have assumed that Brooke would have gone to see Nathan. The brunette doesn't mention that Robbie dropped her off then went over to see Nathan.

Brooke steps into Peyton's bedroom and treads lightly towards the bed and sits down next to where Peyton is laying on her side with tears on her cheeks.

"Two options," Brooke says. "One, I brought tequila." Peyton lets out a teary laugh, and Brooke smiles weakly. "Or two, you can put on whatever depressing music you want, and I'll sit here and listen to you talk or yell or cry, for however long you want to."

"How about we combine both?" Peyton suggests.

"That's my girl," Brooke says, pulling the bottle of liquor from her bag.

Peyton sits up and then stands from the bed, walking to her closet to change into sweats and a hoodie. She tosses some to Brooke, who smiles and heads into the bathroom and quickly steps out of her jeans and sweater. Peyton puts on some soft R&B, which totally surprises Brooke, but she's happy about it. It's not something she's ever heard before, but she definitely thinks it's better than some whiny rock or emo, which is kind of what she'd expected.

"How can he judge me?" Peyton asks brokenly. She grabs two shot glasses from her desk drawer, and Brooke kinks her brow in amusement or admiration. "I mean...after everything."

"I don't..."

"I've been...I've been more than understanding. I've freaking...I slapped his bitch of an ex!" Brooke grimaces. Haley is still kind of her friend, no matter how strained that relationship is. "Sorry." Brooke laughs at Peyton's demeanor. "And now, he...he can't even like, begin to let me explain? What the fuck is that about? And _where_ is my tequila?"

"OK. Honey, first things first. Calm down," Brooke says, pulling Peyton's arm and making her sit down on the bed. "Second of all...OK, well, Tequila will help with the calming."

They clink their shot glasses together and tip back the contents, both of them wincing at the taste.

"Look, I know Nathan," Brooke says. "He'll calm down, come groveling at your feet, and he'll convince you to take him back."

"I shouldn't have to take him back!"

"OK, true, but..."

"No but. He's being a total jerk about something he has no right to be a jerk about."

"Well..." Brooke says, scrunching her nose.

"What?" Peyton asks quickly, knowing Brooke has something to add. "Just say it."

"Well, you could have told him."

"Told him that I had a stupid, shitty, awful three weeks of almost dating a complete jackass? It wasn't even a relationship!" Peyton says defensively. She pours herself another shot and stands after she's drunk it quickly. She starts pacing the room, and Brooke feels like she's out of her depth. Maybe the other girls know how to deal with the crazy a little better. "But...God, I _didn't_ tell him. I should have. Fuck. I...this whole stupid thing is as much my fault as it is his."

"Peyton..."

"But...how hot did he look punching the guy?" she asks, sitting down next to Brooke again.

"Your mood swings are terrifying. You know that, right?" Brooke asks, making them both laugh.

"I need to get drunk," Peyton says, locking eyes with Brooke. "Forget all this right now. I need alcohol."

"I _knew_ there was a reason we'd get along," Brooke says happily, pouring another round.

She and Nathan'll work it all out later. She knows they will.

----

She wakes up the next morning with Brooke sleeping next to her, a pounding headache, a rumbling stomach, and wishing she had been smart enough not to drink an entire bottle of tequila with her friend the night before.

She tries to go back to sleep, but it's no use, which sucks, because it's barely 7:00, and she knows they didn't get to sleep until late the night before. Or the morning, if you want to get technical. Sometime around 3:00, she thinks.

Brooke stirs awake after a little while, and she doesn't say anything before getting up, grabbing her things, and waving to Peyton. Peyton waves back, then Brooke is gone. She's thankful there was no talking; noise is no good right now.

She lays in bed after asking Sandra to bring her some water and cereal, and she thinks about Nathan and how in the hell she's going to make up for her mistake.

It's not even 9:00 when he walks into her bedroom unannounced and sees her laying there, looking not-so-healthy. It's a little eerie; he doesn't think he's ever been in her room when it was completely quiet.

"Why does it smell like Tijuana in here?" he asks. She tries to laugh, but she can't really manage. She groans and turns onto her side with her back to him. He sits down next to her, and he really wants to reach out and touch her, but he's really not sure she wants him to. "So I'm an asshole. But...I guess you got that."

"Little bit," she mumbles.

"I'm sorry," he says sincerely, and she rolls onto her back. Her eyes are all bloodshot and tired and he hates that he's probably the reason she's feeling the way she is. "Peyton, I..."

"I should have told you."

"I shouldn't have been such a jerk."

"Well, yeah," she says, and he laughs softly. "We both suck."

He laughs again and reaches for her hand and she smiles a weak smile. "Can we suck together again?"

"We never broke up," she reminds him.

He'd remind her of those words she said - 'don't bother' - but he's not an idiot, and he's getting her back, and he doesn't want to mess it up. Either she really didn't mean it or she's forgotten about it, and either way, it doesn't really matter.

"I'd probably break up with me after that," he tells her. "I just fucking hate that guy."

"I hate him too," she says quickly. "Why do you think I never told anyone? Not exactly a shining moment." He leans in to kiss her, but she shakes her head and covers her mouth, and he laughs. "Sorry."

"Sorry I drove you to drink," he says. She groans again and closes her eyes. "How hungover are you right now?"

"I'll be alright." She starts to laugh - really laugh - and Nathan looks at her questioningly. "We're ridiculous."

"What?"

"We had this big, huge, stupid fight, and now it's like nothing happened."

"That's a good thing. Communication or whatever," he says, shrugging one shoulder. She smiles at him and nods, and he really wants to kiss her. "And in the future, I'll try to avoid being such a dick."

"That'd be nice," she says, laughing at how candid he's being. "We'll talk about it all later, OK? The whole story."

"Peyton, honestly, we don't have to. He's a guy you kind of dated like, three years ago. It's not a big deal."

"Are you sure? Because..."

"I'm sure," he insists. "And I really don't want to picture you making out with him any more than I already have."

"I'd rather not relive it either," she says, making him laugh.

"Besides," he says, resting his hand on her hip, "I got the girl." She smiles again and sighs her relief. She's obviously happy that argument is over, and he's definitely happy that it is over so quickly. "Why don't you go have a shower? I'll make you a smoothie. It'll make you feel better."

He stands, but she doesn't let go of his hand. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he says quietly, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

And he does.

And he's never going to be stupid enough to ever let her feel like she wants to break up with him ever again.

----

Peyton has a Saturday cheer practice to get ready for their little competition that's coming up in a few weeks' time, and Nathan is spending a rare day at home by himself. He's got no practice, and he's taking the day off after a particularly tough game the night before, and it's weird for him to not have her around on a Saturday.

He's doing homework - actually _doing homework_ - when his phone rings early in the afternoon, and when he sees that it's his uncle Keith, he furrows his brow in curiosity.

And then he starts thinking the worst. There's no reason Keith would be calling him for any _good_ reason.

He answers and listens to what Keith has to say, and long after he's hung up, he's sitting on his sofa thinking everything over. He doesn't know whether to be scared, sad, or just plain pissed off. He's kind of all three.

That's how Peyton finds him; sitting in his living room, flipping his phone open and closed over and over.

"Nate," she says, sitting down next to him. "What's wrong?"

"It's Lucas."

"What about him?" she asks, placing her hand over his to stop him from opening his phone again. "You look freaked out."

"He's in the hospital," he says, turning to her with some sort of unrecognizable emotion in his eyes. "He had a heart attack."

"What?" she asks in shock. "How is that...? How?"

"He's sick."

"Is...is he going to be OK?" She forces him to look at her, and he loves that she's so concerned for someone she's only met once, all because the guy is Nathan's brother.

"No, he's not OK," he says, letting his anger bubble over. "He's got HCM, Peyton. A heart condition. And he _lied_ about it!"

"Nathan..."

"He fucking lied. To everyone."

"So this is about a lie?" It makes a little more sense now. Nathan's been dead set against reconciling with his brother because of all the deceit. Lying about something like this probably just makes Nathan even more pissed off.

"It's about him lying about something so fucking stupid," he says angrily. "Idiot. God. He's...he could die, Peyton. This is...He could die."

"Nathan," she tries again. She wants him to calm down. There's no use, really, since she'd probably be feeling the same. She kind of is. It doesn't matter that she doesn't really know Lucas. He's still Nathan's family. Which kind of almost might someday maybe make him her family.

"I'm gonna go see him."

"I'm coming with you," she says, standing and grabbing her bag. She brought a change of clothes with her, since she'd intended on staying over.

"No. You don't have to."

"I'm coming with you," she repeats with finality. He doesn't argue.

And really, he doesn't want to argue.

He's flooded with a million feelings of regret and pain and hurt and confusion and a whole lot of other things. He feels like he needs her there to help him sort through all that.

He starts packing a bag, and she folds shirts as he tosses them onto the bed. He stops and pulls her into a searing kiss, because it hits him very quickly, the very real possibility that it could be _him_ laying in a hospital bed. 50/50 odds, and he's the lucky one. She doesn't question why he's kissed her, and she smiles at him and kisses him again, and he absolutely has never loved her more.

She drives and he doesn't argue. He's still hurt and angry and he doesn't want to put them in danger, and the way he finds himself looking out the window for most of the drive proves he's in no shape to be behind the wheel. She takes his hand once they're on the highway, and she doesn't let it go the entire drive. He loves that she can be strong when he can't.

"Haley's going to be here," he says out of nowhere as they're pulling up to the hospital.

"OK," Peyton says simply.

"She's his best friend."

"I know," she says, nodding her head. "Hey." He turns to look at her and takes a deep breath. "It's OK. Whatever happens."

"You're...so amazing," he tells her. He leans across the seat to kiss her once they've parked.

"And hey, I even promise not to hit anyone this time," she says. He laughs and kisses her again, then they each step out of the car.

He reaches for her hand as they walk through the hospital doors, and he asks what room Lucas is in. They bump into Keith, who Nathan introduces Peyton to, and she smiles politely and says all the right things, and she knows that he knows who she is. She wonders how much he knows; if he knows she talked to Dan like she did last time they were in town. The wink he sends her lets her know that he does, and maybe that he likes her for it. She knows that Keith and Dan aren't exactly close.

Deb is sitting in the waiting room, and the first thing Nathan and Peyton notice is how very, very tense everything is.

Because Deb's not alone.

Haley is there, and Dan is there, and none of those three people get along with each other. Keith shakes his head and pats Nathan on the back, and Deb stands and rushes towards her son, pulling both he and Peyton into tight hugs.

"Thank you," Deb says to Peyton as Nathan goes to talk to Dan. "For coming with him."

"I can't let him do this alone," Peyton says. Deb smiles weakly and nods her head. That's what she was thanking the girl for. "Where's Cooper? Is he around?"

"He's on his way. He was at an event in Talledega. He should be here by tonight," Deb explains. Peyton nods and blows out her breath as she watches Nathan talk to Dan.

She notices that Haley is sitting there with Keith now at her side, his arm around her and comforting her. She looks scared, and Peyton feels bad; she can't imagine anything like this happening to one of her best friends. She sends Haley a small smile, and Haley sends one back. They aren't forgiving each other, and they probably still even hate each other, but this isn't about them, and they won't make it about them.

"How is Lucas?" Peyton asks. She and Deb sit down across from Haley and Keith, and they try to pretend it's not as tense as it really is.

"He's in a drug-induced coma," Keith explains, and Peyton's eyes go wide. Dan and Nathan come over just in time to hear, though Dan has already filled Nathan in. "They had to give him...hell, I don't know. A bunch of stuff."

"So what does that mean?" Peyton asks.

"It means we have to wait until he wakes up, whenever that is," Haley says. She doesn't sound bitter or angry or...anything but scared, really. "But he _will_ wake up."

"Thank God," Nathan whispers. Peyton looks at him and smiles, and he sits next to her. He takes her hand in his, and it's not to rub anything in Haley's face, it's just because he needs to hold her hand, and he doesn't care that Haley happens to be there.

"Why don't you go in, son," Dan suggests, placing his hand on Nathan's shoulder.

"Karen should eat something," Deb says.

Nathan just nods as Peyton squeezes his hand to show her support. He stands, and everyone watches him make his way to the door.

"Miss Sawyer, a word?" Dan says once Nathan's inside Lucas' room.

She swears her heart stops in her chest. Given the things she said to him the last time they spoke - the first time they spoke - she's not sure what he wants with her. But Deb gives her a nod, and Peyton stands and tucks her hair behind her ear, following Dan across the waiting room and down the hall a little bit.

"Mr. Scott, I..." He cuts her off when he holds his hand up.

"Peyton, I'll get to the point," he says, and she nods gently. "No one talks to me the way you talked to me."

"I'm sorry, I was..."

"Except Nathan," he says, smiling at her. She doesn't know what that smile means. She decides it can't mean anything bad. "I think he's needed someone like you all along."

"Oh," she says, almost in surprise. Definitely in surprise.

"And the fact that you're here with him right now says a lot."

"I'm...I love him," she says quietly, because she's in shock, and it's really the best explanation for any of the things she's ever done in this town. She shrugs one shoulder and looks up at him, and he's smiling.

"I'm glad." He nods his head and she sighs her relief. "Relax, Peyton," he says with a laugh. "I don't want to be the one on the receiving end of your left jab."

They both laugh and her face goes red; apparently everyone knows about that. "I thought you hated me!" she admits, finally letting herself smile.

"Quite the opposite," he says. He places his hand on her shoulder for a moment before they start walking down the hall again. "Quite the opposite."

----

Nathan steps into Lucas' room, and Karen promptly stands and throws her arms around him. Apparently, she's wanted him to come. He hugs her tightly, knowing she must need it, and neither of them says anything for a few minutes. She's crying quietly against him, and he's looking over her head at his brother, laying in a coma in a hospital bed.

He thinks he's forgiven Lucas for anything and everything, right there in those first few seconds.

"Mom says you should eat something," Nathan says once Karen pulls away. She wipes her eyes and smiles.

"Thank you, Nathan," she says. He can only nod and wait for her to walk out the door.

He sits down at Lucas' bedside, and he laughs a little bit. He's one ridiculous red tracksuit away from exactly how he sat only a year ago.

"Deja vu," he says. He doesn't know what else to say, really, so he decides on honesty. "You're an idiot. You know that, right?" He shakes his head and looks to the floor. "The other lies are...whatever. Water under the bridge. I should beat your ass for this one."

He looks back towards the door, marveling in the fact that one person can bring so many 'enemies' together, all to rally around him. And maybe each other. "I'm pissed you didn't tell me. Or anyone. When you get out of this place..."

His phone rings and he curses and fumbles for it in his pocket.

He takes the call, and he thinks for the second time that day that he feels like crying. He stands from his seat and rakes his hand through his hair, and he wants to run outside and hug his family, and he thinks that things couldn't get any weirder, and that the timing is just really messed up. Or maybe perfect.

"I just got into Duke," he says to Lucas' sleeping form, after he's regained a bit of his composure. "So wake your ass up and maybe I'll get you tickets for a game sometime."


	22. Chapter 22

Peyton pretends she doesn't see the hurt and probably jealous look on Haley's face when she notices that Peyton and Dan are 'bonding', laughing just a little bit. Peyton is very well aware that Dan never approved of or even liked Haley. But in all honestly, Peyton doesn't give a damn what Haley sees or doesn't see at this point. She just wants to help her boyfriend through this, be there for him and whoever else she might be able to help, and then go back to Oak Lake.

She notices a woman with red-rimmed eyes sitting next to Keith, and she assumes that woman is Lucas' mother. Peyton sits next to Deb again and gives a reassuring smile to let the older woman know that she's fine after that conversation with Dan.

"Peyton, this is Lucas' mom, Karen," Deb says politely. "Karen, Peyton is Nathan's girlfriend."

"Hi," Peyton says quietly, extending her hand, which Karen shakes.

"Hello."

It's not the warmest welcome she's ever received, but it doesn't matter and she doesn't really care. She can't even imagine what that woman is going through, and she knows that niceties aren't a priority for anyone.

"Can I get anyone anything?" Peyton asks. "I was going to head to the cafeteria."

Haley looks up at her like she really wants to say yes, and when their eyes meet, Peyton notices that Deb tenses a bit.

"Mind if I come?" Haley asks.

All eyes are on Peyton. She can't manage a smile, but she nods her head and the girls stand and start walking down the hall. Peyton's fine in the silence, not saying anything and not talking about their last encounter and the fact that they almost tore each others' hair out.

Haley apparently isn't.

"How's Nathan doing with all this?" she inquires quietly.

"Um...he's trying to act like he's not scared," Peyton admits, looking to the floor. "I know he is though."

"That sounds like him."

Peyton doesn't want to be annoyed that this girl thinks she still knows him. And OK, she's right, it's kind of textbook Nathan, but still. Haley doesn't know anything about Nathan; Peyton's convinced she never did.

"How are you?" Peyton asks, changing the subject. She may be a bit of a bitch, but the situation isn't one that warrants it. Haley's best friend is laying in a hospital bed, and that can't be easy.

"Terrified," Haley admits. "I know he's going to be OK, but..."

"Hospitals suck."

"Yeah," Haley says, almost laughing. "It's all a little familiar."

"The car accident last year, right?" Peyton asks. Nathan has told her. Haley looks surprised.

"Yeah."

They don't say anything more. They're out of neutral topics, and neither wants to get into a shouting match (or worse) so they just buy coffees for everyone, and a few little snacks, and they head back towards the waiting area. Peyton feels like maybe they've reached some sort of middle ground or at least an understanding. Nathan is Peyton's, that's not changing. Back the hell off.

That's about it. In case Haley didn't pick up on that the last time.

And that's that. They get back to the waiting room and hand out coffees, and they don't speak another word to one another.

Nathan steps out of Lucas' room about 10 minutes later, and his eyes immediately lock with Peyton's. She can tell there's something going on. She wonders if Lucas woke up, or if something happened in there, or what's going through his head. If he needs to leave and get away from all this or what.

Then he smiles.

She gets up without him asking her to, and she walks over to where he's standing about 15 feet from everyone else.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asks.

"Nothing's wrong," he says. His smile only grows. "I just got offered a full athletic scholarship to play for Duke next year."

Her eyes go wide and her jaw drops. She throws her arms around him and holds him so tightly that her feet come up off the ground, and it's then that they both seem to remember that they have an audience. She kisses him anyway, because she doesn't care who's looking and _Nathan just got into Duke_.

"I'm so proud of you, Nathan," she whispers, and he notices a tear in her eye.

"Peyton," he says, reaching up to wipe it when it falls onto her cheek.

"This is amazing. You're...God, _you're_ amazing," she says, shaking her head and smiling.

He looks back over to the group, his 'family', and they look completely confused. He takes Peyton's hand and they walk back over to everyone. His mom and dad are standing and he really can't help it, he's happy. He hugs his mom, then his dad, and they look at him like he's insane.

"I'm going to be a Blue Devil," he says simply.

There's a chorus of congratulations, and everyone, even Haley, stands to hug him and ask a million questions, and Peyton just stands at his side, prouder than she's ever been, and thinks that everything's falling into place.

As long as the boy behind that door wakes up soon.

----

It's shortly after Cooper has arrived that Nathan and Peyton head to his house to get some sleep. Everyone is excited and happy, but after those first few minutes, they all recalled that Nathan's brother, one of the people who had helped him start that change in himself and in his game, is not there with them to celebrate. He will be, they all know, but they don't know when that'll be.

Deb and Cooper had decided to stay at the hospital with Karen and Keith, and Dan had left almost immediately after Cooper showed up.

That means that Nathan and Peyton have the entire house to themselves. They both seem to know exactly how they want to spend that time. Peyton fixes them each a bowl of cereal while Nathan clicks on ESPN, and they have a little snack as they watch the highlights of the days' NBA and college ball games.

"I'm so...confused," Nathan admits. Peyton turns to look at him a little and places their empty bowls on the table in front of them. "I want to celebrate and everything, but it feels wrong or something."

"Well, I don't think you should throw a party here or anything," she says, taking his hand as he smiles. "But you're allowed to be happy about this, Nathan."

"I know," he says quietly.

"And Lucas is going to be OK. It's just...the waiting."

"It's still scary though." He almost whispers it, and though he knows he doesn't need to hide his feelings for his brother with Peyton, he still kind of wants to. And Peyton knows that maybe his confusion isn't over just him wanting to be happy about something at such a strange time.

"How was it? When you went to see him, I mean," she asks. They haven't really gotten a chance to talk about it. She knows he needs to.

"Sucked." He looks down and actually almost smiles when he sees her small hand in his. He really loves that. "He looks like hell."

"Well, he just had a heart attack," Peyton rationalizes. "I don't think he's going for any modeling awards."

"I feel bad for Karen," he says. "She's had to deal with him being in the hospital so much."

"Says the guy who collapsed on the court and was in a car accident in the same year," she says, kinking her brow. He rolls his eyes and smiles, because he knows she's right. "But what about when he wakes up? You think you'll...try the brother thing again?"

"I think I have to." She smiles at him and leans over to kiss his cheek. "What's that for?"

"For being...smart and brave and amazing," she says, like it's really no big deal. "You know how sexy that is?"

"Sexy, huh?" She nods her head and he grabs her, pulling her onto his lap and making her laugh. He kisses her and she runs her hands through his hair. "We have this place to ourselves."

"Mmm," she murmurs, standing from her place and taking his hands. "That'll make it so much easier to get to sleep, won't it?"

She laughs at the look on his face, and he pulls her flush against him. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you fall asleep," he says gruffly.

"But I'm so _tired_," she says teasingly.

"That's it." He picks her up and throws her over his shoulder, and she squeals and demands that he put her down. He doesn't. He carries her up the stairs and into his bedroom, and when he sets her down on his bed, he notices that perfect smile on her face.

"Hey Nate?" she says as he pulls off his shirt. He lays down on top of her and kisses her quickly. "I love you. And I'm _so_ proud of you."

"I love you too, baby," he whispers.

----

Nathan wakes up alone in his bed, but he hears Peyton's very distinctive laugh coming from the kitchen, and he lays there for a few minutes, wondering not only how in the hell he's managed to find her, but also thinking about how lucky he is that she gets along so well with his family. He loves that she does. He also loves that his mom is so accepting of Peyton. But then again, she has no reason not to be. He supposes it's just got something to do with the fact that she didn't love - or even really like - Haley.

He gets out of bed and pulls on a pair of basketball shorts and runs his hand through his hair as he walks down the stairs.

"No! I'm very well aware of what happens when you take people to the track," Peyton says, and they all laugh. They haven't noticed Nathan standing in the doorway yet.

"Look, that wasn't my fault. The kid can't listen," Cooper says in his defense.

"He listens to me." Peyton puts her hand on her hip and raises her brow.

"Well, you look a hell of a lot better to him than I do," Cooper argues.

"You're damn right she does," Nathan says, making his presence known.

She's wearing his Oak Lake tee shirt with her pajama pants, and he thinks she looks pretty damn sexy. He walks over and kisses her quickly, neither of them caring that his mom and uncle are in the room. Like he's said before, it's not like they don't know how serious the relationship is.

"I'm sure Brooke would go with you," Deb says with a laugh.

"Oh God. I'm sure Brooke would do just about anything with you," Peyton says.

"How is Brooke anyway?" Cooper asks.

"She's good. She and Robbie are serious now," Nathan explains. He takes a strip of bacon out of the pan on the stove and takes a bite. "It's good for her."

"Well, I'm going to go back to the hospital and take some food for Keith and Karen," Deb announces, picking up the basket she's got prepared. "Cooper, you're in charge of cleaning up. Nathan, just come to the hospital when you're ready if you want to. Peyton, you make sure they behave."

"You say that like these hooligans can be tamed," Peyton mumbles, smiling sweetly at Nathan when he glares at her.

"Well, do your best," Deb laughs as she heads out of the house.

Cooper and Nathan are sitting side by side, both shirtless and waiting for their breakfast, and looking at Peyton like they're either pissed that she called them hooligans, or they expect her to serve them their food.

"What?" she asks.

"A good girlfriend would bring her boyfriend a plate," Nathan says.

"And her boyfriend's uncle. Good impression and all that," Cooper adds, and Nathan nods in agreement.

"Oh really?" she asks, raising her brow and putting her hand on her hip. "Well a good boyfriend wouldn't expect his girlfriend to be tied to some ancient, sexist, gender unequal rules set by barbaric men in..."

"OK, OK, I'll get my own breakfast," Nathan says. He walks over and kisses her quickly, and Cooper laughs at them.

"What now?" she asks in annoyance.

"Whipped," Cooper mutters.

"Yeah, Coop?" Nathan says, turning back to his uncle. "Where's _your_ girlfriend."

"I'm a bachelor," Cooper insists, leaning back in his seat. "I don't need a girlfriend."

"And which of us is having sex regularly?"

"Nathan!" Peyton shouts in horror.

"He knows," Nathan says. She glares at him and he realizes he needs to make amends. And fast. Cooper is laughing, and he just can't lose this argument. "And it's not about having a girlfriend. It's about having the _right_ girlfriend. Which I do."

"Nice save," Peyton says, laughing before she kisses him.

"Really? You're going to let him off the hook just like that?" Cooper asks.

"Well I want to keep him around at least until his first NBA contract. Then I can clean him out for half and be on my way," she says jokingly.

"Wow," Cooper says with a laugh. She hands him a plate of food and Nathan's jaw drops.

"How come he gets served and I don't?!" Nathan asks.

"Because he's my boyfriend's uncle and I have to make a good impression," she says, making them all laugh.

After breakfast, Nathan insists he needs to go to the River Court and work out for a bit, and Peyton doesn't know if that's for his game or his emotions, but she knows it doesn't matter, and that it's probably both. When they step outside, Cooper is looking under the hood of Peyton's car, and she stops in her tracks and looks at him like he's crazy.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"I love your car," he tells her.

"Yeah, me too. What are you doing?"

"You know, if you put a cold air intake..."

"Cooper, no," she says, laughing as she takes her keys back from him. "I don't need a race car, and this one handles great and is fast enough on its own."

"And she already drives like a maniac," Nathan adds. That earns him a slap on the arm and an indignant look.

"Dude. Never insult your girl's driving skills," Cooper says, shaking his head. "You just...can't do that."

"See? Bachelors have relationship wisdom too," Peyton says smugly. She pushes Cooper aside and drops the hood of the car with a slam. "You," she says, pointing to Cooper, "stay away from my car. You," she points to Nathan, "get in."

Both men do as they're told, and Cooper laughs when Peyton peels out of the driveway, letting the tires squeal just a little bit. He knows she's only doing it to prove that she's a good driver, and that her car is fine the way it is. Point proven.

----

Karen is sitting at Lucas' bedside, picking at one of the muffins Deb brought over and flipping through an old copy of some cooking magazine, when she hears a sharp breath. She looks over and sees Lucas blinking slowly and grimacing.

"Lucas," she whispers happily. She drops her magazine and takes his hand in both of hers.

"Mom."

"Honey, I love you, but you are in so much trouble," she says. She's smiling though, and he lets out a soft laugh, basically just a breath, that's music to her ears.

"Did Nathan get into Duke?" he asks.

Karen laughs and nods her head. She's just so damn happy. It's clear he heard every single thing that happened around him when he was out of it.

"Yes, he did."

----

Peyton sits on the bleachers with her the blanket from the trunk of her car wrapped around her shoulders and watches Nathan, in just his sweat shirt and jeans, shooting around. She teases him about his form, though they both know it's flawless, and cheers any time he does something impressive.

He realizes only a few minutes into his 'workout' that he and Peyton have never played ball together. He has no idea how that's even possible.

"Get out here," he demands.

"Nope."

"We've never played before. You have to."

"I have to?" she asks with a laugh. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" he says, almost pouting.

"Because you'll just kick my ass and make yourself feel great, but I'll feel bad," she explains. He steps towards her shaking his head.

"Who the hell have you been playing ball with?" he asks laughingly.

"Robbie, mostly."

"That explains it."

"Well, all you boys are the same," she insists.

"That's so not true," he says. She kinks her brow questioningly and he smirks at her. "I'm an NCAA college ball player."

She smiles and stands from her place. "Yes, you are."

"Come on! One on one," Nathan says enticingly, tossing the ball to her.

"Fine!" she relents. "But if I'm better than you, I don't want to see any tears." She throws up a shot from where she stands at the three point line, and it sinks through the chains. He looks at her in disbelief and maybe admiration as she chases down her rebound. "What? I've got some game."

"Apparently," he says. Truthfully, he's totally distracted by how good she looks holding a basketball. "Alright, Sawyer. Let's see what you can do."

She dribbles the ball a few times, trying to think of how she's going to score on him when opposing players, guys who have been training for their whole lives, can't manage to get two points. But, she's been watching him for a while, and she talks to Robbie and Matt, and she knows Nathan has a move that's pretty hard to defend against. She's almost certain that he's the only one who can do it. She's definitely certain that he wouldn't expect her to break it out.

But she does. She fakes left, then fakes right, and once he's committed, she heads left again, spinning around and sending up the shot. It doesn't fall through the chains, and she curses, but Nathan is impressed. And maybe a little turned on.

"I thought that was going to be so awesome," she says, pouting once he's retrieved the ball.

"Are you kidding me?" he asks. "That was the sexiest thing...ever."

"I wanted to score using your move."

He's biting his tongue. There is a mountain of innuendos in there. He's already wishing he could take her home, and if he says something, she'll say something, and it'll all just escalate from there. He loves that he knows that. He loves that she won't blush and get all shy and care that they're in a public place. She'll go toe to toe with him in a battle of comments. He knows those comments will make him just want her more, if that's possible.

"What?" she asks, looking at him with a little smile.

"Nothing."

"Really nothing? Or you just want me to think it's nothing?" She stepped towards her and he was shaking his head. "You're so cute when you're trying to resist temptation."

"Well, you make it pretty fucking hard when you're the temptress," he says gruffly. He realizes his word choice when he sees the smirk on her face. "Don't."

"It's just so easy to get you all worked up. I bet if I sunk another shot, you'd lose your mind."

He's about to tell her that he definitely would and that she's definitely not getting the ball again, and his phone rings in his pocket. He reaches for it and sees that it's his dad, and Peyton steals the ball from him and makes a couple shots as he's talking.

"What?" she asks once he's hung up and there's a weird look on his face.

"Lucas is awake."


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N:** Hey guys. I'm leaving for vacation on Tuesday, and I want to get this whole story posted before I leave so you don't have to wait like, 10 days between chapters. I'll do my best. Updates will probably be frequent. Keep reviewing!!

**----**

Peyton realizes, as they're on their way to the hospital, that they haven't even called Brooke, and they definitely should have. She may not be with Lucas anymore, but no matter what happened between them, she still cares about him and she'd probably still be interested to know that he's in the hospital.

She's surprised, to say the least, and Peyton assures her that there's nothing she could have done. She starts blaming herself a little bit, wondering how she couldn't have known what was going on with him. Peyton insists that he hadn't told anyone, and that he'd actually lied to everyone. Brooke simply says to keep her posted, and to tell Lucas and Karen that she's thinking of them. It's pretty mature of her, Peyton decides.

"You alright?" she asks. Nathan is driving her car, because she kind of likes it when he does. She told him she's never liked a guy to drive her car before, but she does like it when he does. He assumes that means something.

"Yeah. It's just different going in there knowing he's awake."

"You mean since you're going to have an actual conversation?" she asks knowingly.

"Something like that," he says. "It's just so crazy. I mean, I was so mad at him for so long, and then...You know, this happens and it's like..."

"Perspective," she says. "That's not crazy. I think it's to be expected."

"Maybe."

"Nathan, there's nothing wrong with forgiving him," she tells him. She's a little worried about what he'll say to that, but he turns to her and smiles. She runs her hand through his hair, then fiddles with his earlobe a little bit, just like she knows he likes.

"You're smart, you know that?" he asks.

"Yeah. I'm glad you know it too," she says, making them both laugh. She broaches the next subject gently, because she's really not sure how it'll go over. "You think you'll maybe keep in touch with your dad now?"

"I don't know," he answers honestly. "It seems like he's...I dunno, changing or whatever, but...What if it's too little, too late?"

"But it's not too late," she says quietly.

"What do you think I should do?" he asks, though he's pretty sure he knows, based on what she's just said.

"He's your dad, Nate."

"Yeah, but..."

"You know what I'd give for one more conversation with my mom?" she says.

He feels like a jerk. He'd never even thought of all this, how hard this would be for her. Being in a hospital and not only dealing with his messed up family, but the knowledge that she doesn't exactly have one of her own.

"I'm sorry," he says sheepishly, glancing over at her.

"No. You don't have to apologize. I'm just saying...It's really not too late if you want to have a relationship with your dad."

"Thank you." He looks over at her again, and she smiles and slips her hand into his. "For this and for coming here."

"It's no big deal."

"It _is_, though," he insists. "You don't get how hard this is."

"Yeah, I do," she tells him. "And there's no way I'm going to make you deal with this alone." She leans over and kisses his cheek, and he just shakes his head. "So quit saying thank you, because I'm not going anywhere, and it'll get annoying if you keep saying it."

"You know, Sawyer? You're alright." She shrugs coyly and they both laugh, and when he pulls into the hospital parking lot and finds a spot, he cuts the engine and looks over at her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

She grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him into a kiss, and he knows that no matter what he faces when he walks through those doors, he's still leaving with her and he's still going back to Oak Lake, and he still going to Duke next year. He figures if he can salvage relationships with his father and brother, that'll just be bonus.

----

Lucas is sitting up in his bed with Haley next to him, talking and laughing like he didn't just have a heart attack. When Nathan walks into the room, he's kind of angry about that. He doesn't think Lucas could be in any more denial.

"Hey," Nathan says, just to get them to stop staring at him. He left Peyton in the waiting room with his mom, so it's just him there.

"I'll um...leave you guys alone," Haley says quietly, standing from her place and walking towards the door and past Nathan.

"Try not to get into any fights," Lucas calls out. Both he and Nathan smile as she rolls her eyes and pulls the door open. "Seriously," he says to Nathan. "Is there a referee?"

"Mom's out there," Nathan explains.

"So you want to kick my ass, huh?"

"I'll wait till you're out of here, but yeah," Nathan says, sitting next to Lucas' bed. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I didn't want to quit basketball," Lucas says defensively.

"But you were OK with quitting...living?"

"Look, you don't understand."

"Don't I?" Nathan asks, shaking his head. "It could have easily been me, Luke."

"And wouldn't you have done anything to keep yourself in the game?"

"Honestly, I don't think so," Nathan says. He has to keep reminding himself to keep calm, because he doesn't need to be accused of sending his brother into another heart attack or something. "Luke, this was a really, really stupid thing."

"And you care all of a sudden," Lucas challenges, raising his brow.

"Not all of a sudden," Nathan says quietly. "I was pissed at you, but...you were always my brother." He can see that Lucas is about to say something, but Nathan stops him. "No matter what ass-y things I said."

Lucas holds up his fist, and Nathan chuckles and bumps his hand against Lucas'. That's pretty much their apology and forgiveness and a little bit of understanding.

"Well, hey, at least one of us will play college ball," Lucas says with a smile.

"Your mom told you?"

"No. You did," Lucas says.

"No shit," Nathan laughs. "So you can actually hear people when you're out, huh?"

"When you're not busy dreaming about Brooke naked," Lucas mumbles.

"I'm never going to live that down," Nathan says, and they both start laughing.

"But seriously, man. Congrats on getting into Duke. That's...amazing," Lucas said sincerely.

"Thanks."

"And now that I can't play, I'll have plenty of time to mooch free tickets."

"I'm sorry, Luke. I...I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't play," Nathan says honestly. He doesn't even want to think about it.

But by the same token, he thinks that if for some reason he did have to quit the game, he'd be alright as long as he could find something else to love. He doesn't know what that would be. Then he thinks of Peyton, and he starts to believe that if he had a life with her, whatever life that would be, he'd be OK no matter what.

"I'll figure it out," Lucas says. The way he has said it makes Nathan think he really believes it. That's definitely a good thing.

"Yeah, you will," Nathan says. "And I'll be around to help you. I mean...if you want."

"And by 'around', you mean that you'll be at Oak Lake, kicking ass and winning a state championship," Lucas states.

Nathan nods and smirks. "Exactly."

The door opens and Deb peeks inside the room to see the brothers laughing with one another.

"Uh oh," Nathan mutters. "Do I have to break up a brawl?"

"Not this time," Deb says.

"You should get back to school," Lucas insists sincerely. "You shouldn't have come at all."

Nathan scoffs and looks at Lucas like he's insane. As if to say that of course, he was going to come.

"Soon," Deb tells Nathan sternly. She pushes the door open more and steps inside, and she gestures to someone in the hall to enter the room.

Peyton walks in timidly with her hands tucked up into the sleeves, and her nervousness wanes when Nathan smiles at her.

"Hey," she says, waving to Lucas. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just had a heart attack and my brother wants to kick my ass," Lucas responds.

"So good, then," she says, and they all laugh. "If it makes you feel any better, I've seen his punch. Not that impressive." She looks at the indignant look on Nathan's face and laughs.

"Who'd you punch for her?" Lucas asks knowingly, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Damien West," Nathan states proudly.

"Nice!" Lucas nods in appreciation. He's always hated Damien too. The few times their teams have played, he's always gotten a weird vibe.

"Anyway," Peyton interrupts, "we forgot we have that english paper to work on, and Robbie just called me."

"Fuck," Nathan mutters.

"Nathan!" Deb scolds her son.

"Seriously, mom? Discipline?" Nathan asks incredulously. Deb's lips curl into a smile and she shrugs her shoulder, and everyone laughs.

"So we have a two hour drive and an evening of going over Shakespeare and writing a comprehensive group paper," Peyton says.

"Well, that sucks," Nathan mumbles.

Peyton really wants to tell him that they were supposed to do this project the other night, but he seduced her and they ended up blowing off Brooke and Robbie for their group project 'date' that they'd set up. She realizes, however, that bringing up that situation with his mom and brother in the room would probably just make her more embarrassed than anything.

"So yeah, we should go," Peyton says quietly, looking up at Nathan.

They say their goodbyes and Lucas and Nathan hug as best they can with Lucas laying in a hospital bed. Peyton waves and smiles and wishes Lucas well, and he thanks her in a way that lets her know that he's thanking her for a lot more than her simple words. Everyone leaves the room and Nathan and Peyton take turns hugging Deb. They say a goodbye in passing to Haley, and Nathan calls his dad on the way out of the hospital to let him know they're leaving town.

Peyton smiles when Nathan tells Dan to come to the next game.

She throws her arms around him when they get to her car, and he laughs a little bit, because for some reason, he wasn't expecting it.

"What's this?"

"I'm so proud of you, Nathan," she says.

He honestly can't count how many times she's said that since he's known her.

"I love you."

"I love you," she says. "Can you believe that in two days, you started mending both your relationships with your dad and your brother, and you got into our dream school."

_Our_ dream school. He loves those reminders that she loves Duke.

"Thank you," he almost whispers.

"Would you _stop_ thanking me?" she asks, pulling away from him. "Seriously. I don't know why it surprises you that I want what's best for you."

He thinks about it for a moment, trying to figure out why he does it. And sure, Haley would always say that she wanted him to go out and do all sorts of things with his talent, but when it came down to it, she was always holding him back at least a little bit. Some of it was self-sacrifice on his part, turning down High Flyers so she could follow her dream, but he was just trying to support her in a way that she never supported him.

"Because no one's ever really shown that the way you do," he admits.

"Well, get used to it," she says quietly. "Because I'm going to keep doing it for...as long as we're together.

She almost said forever. She honestly doesn't know how that'd go over.

He smiles at her and pulls her close again, her lips just inches from his. He wants to tell her that'll be a long, long time. He just kisses her instead.

----

That Monday after handing in that group project, Nathan has a practice with the team, and he finally tells everyone he was accepted to his dream school. Other than his coach, no one knew that bit of news. He gets hugs (though guys just don't call them hugs) from his teammates, and hears a lot of congratulations, and it feels pretty damn good. Aaron was accepted to LSU the previous week, and they were all just as happy for him. They're all very well aware that Robbie and Matt are waiting to hear from UNC and Wake Forrest respectively. If they get into their dream schools, too, these three guys are going to be seeing a lot of each other next year. The next four years.

He walks into Peyton's house after practice, completely exhausted and ready to just relax with her for the evening. But given the amount of energy she has when she bounds down the stairs in her sweats and one of his tee shirts, he's pretty sure that she's not going to let him relax.

"Hi," he says, laughing as she throws her arms around him.

"Hi."

"What's with you?"

"Why does something have to be _with_ _me_?" she asks as she pulls away.

"Well, you saw me two hours ago and you're acting like it's been a week," he tells her. She smiles and kisses him and he laughs again. Sure, she's relatively happy, generally speaking, but this is something new.

"Notice how quiet it is?"

"I guess." He shrugs his shoulders and she rolls her eyes.

"Sandra has the day off, and Dad's away," she explains, slipping her hand into his.

He doesn't want to relax anymore.

"Really?" he asks. He doesn't think he's ever been at her place just the two of them.

"Mhmm." She kisses him again and then gets a mischievous smile on her lips. No matter how sexy that is, it scares him just a little.

"What are you scheming?"

She slips her hand into his and bites her bottom lip a little. "You trust me?"

"What kind of question is that?" he laughs. "Of course."

She starts pulling him towards that door at the end of the hall, and his heart starts racing. That was a good day; the first day he visited her house. But he doesn't have swim shorts, and he's almost certain she's not wearing a bathing suit under her clothes. The only staff member around, apparently, is Jay, the security guy at the front gate.

Never a better time to skinny dip in her indoor pool, Nathan thinks.

But even though he's prepared himself for it, when they step into that room, the smell of chlorine lingering in the air, and Peyton pushes down the waistband of her grey Oak Lake sweatpants...well, his mouth still goes dry. It doesn't help (or maybe it does?) that she isn't wearing anything underneath. She turns to face him, wearing only that tee shirt of his, and she raises her brow.

"Don't be shy," she teases.

"I"m not. I'm...busy staring at you."

"Whatever. Take it off," she walks towards him and tugs at the bottom of the tee shirt he's wearing.

"Are you sure this is OK?" he asks.

"No one's around to stop us," she reminds him. Her voice is low and sexy and he loves it when she gets like this. "Come on. I feel underdressed."

"Maybe that's what happens when you don't wear panties," he mumbles.

There's a smirk on his face and she's glaring at him, but then she pushes up the fabric of his tee shirt and he finishes pulling it over his head. She kisses him quickly, then walks away from him and pulls her shirt over her head, throwing it towards him so it lands at his feet. his breathing is erratic as he watches her dive into the pool, then he can't get out of his pants quickly enough.

He dives in after her, and she's smiling when he resurfaces. He can't wrap his arms around her like he wants to, since they're both treading water, but she starts swimming towards a more shallow area, and he's thankful. The water is just to her shoulders, and when he stands in front of her, she smiles and slips her arms around his waist.

"Fun, right?" she asks. "I've always wanted to do this."

"You've never swam naked in your own pool?"

"No!" she almost yells. "No. I'm never really left alone."

"Hmm."

"What?" she asks quietly. She can tell he's thinking something serious.

"It's just weird, you know? I had two parents growing up, and I was alone all the time. You only have one, and there was always someone around," he says.

It still amazes him that he opens up to her about these things. He loves that he can, definitely, and that she doesn't judge him, and he doesn't feel awkward or uncomfortable talking to her. It's healthy. It's balanced in their relationship, and he wonders, for a very brief moment, if that's what a marriage is like. It's not like he's going to ask her or anything.

Well, not yet, anyway.

"Well..." she says, but she looks away from him and her voice trails.

"What?" he asks encouragingly.

"As long as we're together, we don't have to worry about any of it," she finishes.

"Meaning?" He smiles at her, and she leans up to kiss him for no reason.

He lets himself wonder if she's ever even thought of marrying him. Eventually. Someday in the future. Years down the road.

"I won't let you be alone," she says quietly. "And you'll know well enough to give me space." She moves a little bit closer, so there's no space at all between them. "Sound good?"

"Sounds good to me," he promises. He kisses her a little harder than these little pecks on the lips they've been sharing. "So, since you've never skinny dipped in here, you've probably never had sex in your pool, either."

"Nathan!" she squeals, pushing at his chest.

"Come on," he says pleadingly. He pulls her flush against him again to prove how badly he wants her. "It'll be fun."

"I'm sure it would be," she admits, her eyes locking with his. "But we are not doing that here."

"How come?" he pouts.

"Well," she says, running her hands up and down his back, "considering we've never even been together in my bed, I figured we could start there."

Good Lord, he loves her.

"Start?" he manages.

She moves away from him without answering, and she steps out of the pool, all naked and dripping wet, and he's frozen in his place. She wraps a towel around herself, then grabs one for him off the shelf.

"You coming?" she asks. There's a little grin on her lips, since she's so obviously teasing him with her word choice.

He gets out of the pool and loosely wraps that towel around his waist. They don't bother grabbing their clothes - they'll come back for them later. They kiss all the way to her bedroom, and she's laughing when they collapse onto her bed. He'd told her in the hall at school that day that he needed her badly, and they'd almost blown off their morning classes. She tells him she's been thinking about this all day. He loves that she'll admit to that.

"No pressure," she taunts.

"Have I ever let you down before?" he asks, his hand running over her hip bone. She takes a sharp breath and shakes her head, unable to form words with his hand doing what it's doing. "I'm not going to start now."

If she were in any state to think about anything other than his body, she'd realize those words are meant on a whole lot of different levels.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N:** Another day, another update. Hit me with some reviews if you have thoughts! Big chapter...

**----**

As if December isn't already stressful enough with Christmas, it's also the end of the semester, which means finals. Which means studying your ass off and making sure you pass your classes and/or up your grades. Which means little time to spend goofing off with your boyfriend or your friends.

And if that isn't enough, it's also when the state championship is.

The guys have busted their asses. They, of course, dominated the playoffs and beat every opponent to make it to the finals. Now, the night before the tournament, Nathan is trying to keep himself calm, focused, and ready to win. But also prepared to lose. Of course, he's going to do everything in his power to make sure that doesn't happen.

He's on his sofa, threading that gold ribbon of Peyton's through his fingers over and over as he mentally recites the game plan and a bunch of new plays. Robbie has already called him to ask if he's supposed to be on the right or the left side of the key on their newest defensive strategy, and Matt stopped by to make sure Nathan has plenty of carbs at his place for his breakfast. The more people he talks to, the more nervous he gets. He hates that he's getting nervous, but...well, this is the _state championship_. This is what he's wanted for as long as he can remember, and definitely for the last four years. This is his last chance to win it. All the records, all the point scoring titles and all-time Oak Lake highs aren't going to mean anything if he can't win this game.

Peyton knows he needs time to get his head ready for the game. She also knows that he'll dwell on it and try to mentally repair all those (imaginary) holes in his game. She should be studying - he should be, too - but this game is so much more important than her history final, no matter what her teacher says.

So she finds herself at his door, wearing his sweatshirt with his name and number on the back, and when she walks in and he sees her, he laughs to himself. Coach gave him shit that morning for not having that sweater; they're supposed to wear them to their practice the next day, since it's open to media.

"I told you I'd bring it back," she says, pulling that dark green cotton over her head, effectively messing up her curls.

Nathan doesn't care about that. She's in one of those white tank tops, a black bra, and her jeans. Suddenly, the sweater is the last thing on his mind. He knows she isn't trying to tempt him - they both know he can't (won't) have sex the night before a game this huge - but she's certainly accomplishing it.

"Thanks."

"How are you?" she asks, because it's better than asking him what he's thinking or if he needs her to do anything.

"I'm OK," he says, nodding gently. She notices the ribbon in his hands, and she shakes her head. He shrugs his shoulder. She loves that he doesn't get embarrassed about that kind of thing. "I really want to win this game."

"How bad?" she asks, grinning at him.

"I'd give anything."

"Me?" she teases. "Would you give me up to win it?"

He glares at her. Not only does she already know the answer, but if he jokingly says 'yes', he'll be in trouble. If he tells the truth - that he wouldn't give her up for anything - it looks like he doesn't want it bad enough.

But no game is worth losing his girl over.

"Maybe not anything," he says quietly. "But if it was like an Indecent Proposal thing, where it was just one night..."

"Jerk!" she cries, laughing at him. She swats his arm as he smirks, then she rests her hand at the back of his neck soothingly. She doesn't say anything for a few minutes, and Nathan suspects something is up. They can sit together and not say anything, sure, but it isn't often that they actually do it.

"What's with you?" he asks, turning to her a little bit.

"Nothing."

"Peyton," he says encouragingly.

"I didn't want to say anything," she says, shaking her head. "You're already stressed out, and...Well, you shouldn't stress out about my stuff, I just..."

"Babe, you're rambling," he says, chuckling at her. She always does that when she's nervous.

"Right," she whispers. "I got a call from the admissions department at Duke, and they wanted to see my portfolio."

"That's amazing!"

"I know," she says, smiling coyly at him. "So this is the second stage of getting in. I sent it this afternoon."

"So you're really close to being accepted," he notes. "I mean, I thought you were a lock anyway, since your dad..."

"Well yeah," she says, shrugging her shoulder. "But I want to do it on my own. Or at least see if I can." He smiles and nods his head. "I know you understand that."

"Yeah, I do." He leans over and kisses her quickly. "You'll get in. They suck if they don't let you in."

She thinks it's hilarious and incredibly endearing that he says things like that. She doesn't need the guy who gives false reassurances. What she's learned over the last few months is that she needs Nathan. Just him, no one else, and no act. She wants the blunt, sometimes arrogant way he says things.

"Thanks," she says quietly.

She gets up and starts towards his bedroom, and he doesn't know what she's doing, but he really hates that he can't just follow her in there and kiss her the way he really, really wants to. He probably should have told her not to come over, but that would have made him look like a jerk, though he knows she'd understand. And if he's being honest, he definitely wanted to see her. He always wants to see her.

"What are you doing?" he calls down the hall.

"I need a shirt!"

He wants to tell her that no, she really doesn't. But that'll get him into trouble.

She comes back down the hall wearing one of his other sweatshirts, but it's only zipped up to where it hits her waist, since it's so big on her. He stands immediately and zips it up further.

"Why'd you do that?" she asks with a laugh. He pulls her against him and wraps his arms around her.

"No one but me needs to see what's underneath," he says candidly. He kisses the top of her head, and she slips one hand beneath his tee shirt at the small of his back. "Stop it."

"What?" she asks innocently.

"You're a troublemaker," he laughs. She pulls away and he's shaking his head at the all-too-adorable look on her face.

Their eyes lock, and his blue ones are shining down at her. He's looking at her like he always does when he's realizing again how much he loves her; how much he needs her. She's looking at him like she always does when she's realizing how happy she is that he transfered schools and she ever got the chance to even meet him.

"I have to go," she says. She knows that if she stays any longer, they'll start something they know they can't finish.

"OK." He kisses her gently and hugs her one last time before she pulls away.

"Get sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow," she promises. "Don't start stressing out."

"It's only the biggest game of my life, right?" he says, smirking at her.

"That's all." She shrugs one shoulder and heads for the door. "Love you."

"Love you too."

He goes to bed not long after she's left, and all he keeps telling himself is that she'll be just as proud of him if he doesn't win the game. He knows it's true, though she's never told him as much. He loves that she hasn't, actually, because it would risk sounding patronizing. He just knows it's true, and he's never felt more secure of himself in his life. Whether he wins or loses, he's got her, and he's got Duke, and what else does he need? Not much.

A state title would be pretty awesome though.

----

During he warmup, Nathan notices a few things. One, it's pretty amazing to play in this building. The pros play here, and it feels incredible. The noise and the constant announcements on the PA only fuel him more. They aren't a distraction, they're a sign of things to (hopefully) come. He loves the feeling of playing in this atmosphere, and he wants to do it every second night in a few years' time. The NBA is his dream, and this is a taste of what it might be like.

He sees Peyton on the sidelines, her hair in curls as she smiles and talks with the other girls. He's so happy that she's there, and it doesn't matter if she's a cheerleader or not, knowing that she's there and watching him and happy for him and proud of him regardless, well, that helps. The wink she sends him when he jogs past her doesn't hurt either.

He notices his mom and Cooper sitting with Keith, Karen and Lucas, all donning hunter green and gold tee shirts for the occasion. Nathan knows how much it means that Lucas will wear those colours instead of his own for the night. He offers a nod to the group and they all wave. Sitting several rows back is Dan, and he offers a nod to his son. Nathan smiles back. His whole messed up, disjointed family is there. He wouldn't have it any other way. Well, now he wouldn't.

The buzzer sounds, signaling 5 minutes until tip-off, and Coach Jennings calls in his team. He starts talking, saying motivational words none of the guys really need to get them fired up. This is definitely the biggest game any of them have every played, and they're all confident and competitive enough to know that they'll give everything they can to win. They know that if they _do_ give everything they have, they _will_ win.

The starting lineups are announced, and Nathan, Robbie, Matt, Aaron, and Miko look so damn good standing there with spotlights shining on them that the Oak Lake cheerleaders go a little crazy based on appearances alone. The anthem is sung and they get ready for tip-off, and Matt calls Nathan's name as they take their positions. Nathan walks over to Matt, and he smiles and says very familiar words.

"We're winning this game," Matt insists. Nathan bumps his fist against Matt's and smiles.

"Hell yeah, we are," Nathan promises. It's a promise he has a distinct feeling he won't be breaking.

As if Oak Lake wasn't already the best high school team in the state, something about the atmosphere and the pressure and the prize and the title has all the guys playing even harder. Aaron's defense is so close to flawless that the other team actually looks scared, discouraged at every attempt to drive the lane. Matt and Robbie are playing amazingly together, like they have since they were kids. They've always been on the same team and it shows. They know each other so well that they can spot each other from anywhere and they know how to get open. It's like they have a secret language between the two of them. Oak Lake is certainly benefiting from that.

And Nathan? Nathan is playing so well that every time he dunks the ball or scores or drains a shot that everyone thought was impossible, there's a lull in the crowd before the applause starts. It's as though they're all trying to figure out if they're actually seeing what they're seeing; if he's actually as good as it looks like he is. He scores 21 points in the first half alone, and Oak Lake is up by 13 when they go to the locker room.

"You realize that whatever you did or didn't do to Nathan last night, you're going to have to do or not do the night before every game for the rest of your life, right?" Ginny says, laughing as they sit in their seats during half time.

"What!?" Peyton cries, shaking her head.

"He's playing _so_ well. Athletes are superstitious," Ginny says. She shrugs her shoulder and takes a sip of her Gatorade. "So if it was something dirty...go you!"

"Shut up," Peyton laughs. "It wasn't anything."

"Well that sucks," Brooke says seriously. Peyton looks at her questioningly. "Well if it's nothing, and he makes the NBA...I mean, that's what? three games a week? That means three nights of the week, you're not going to..."

"OK, stop," Peyton insists, holding up her hands as she laughs. "First of all, let's not talk about mine and Nathan's...personal life right now. Second of all, the NBA is like, four years away."

"Oh please," Claire says. "Like you two aren't going to still be together in four years."

"You don't know that!" Peyton cries. She thinks she knows it, though.

"You'll be married by then," Catherine says. She's not joking at all. She doesn't disapprove and she's not giving a warning. She's saying it like it's a fact. "You will. You'll probably have a kid, too."

"What!?" Peyton shouts.

The other four girls exchange looks, then all nod their heads in her direction.

She'd love to be mad and tell them not to be so nosey. She can't though.

She loves that they see her future just like she sees it.

The teams come back onto the court, and as Nathan jogs past, he takes the sweat-dampened towel from over his shoulder, and he smirks at Peyton as he tosses it at her. She catches it and smiles back at him, though she's trying to scowl. She can't manage it. Brooke points out that Peyton's used to Nathan's sweat, and all the girls laugh as Peyton rolls her eyes.

If Nathan ran the court in the first half, he dominates the entire game in the second. It's not that he's playing selfishly - it's anything but - he just gets himself open or helps his teammates get open, and he's passing and scoring like he was born to do it. Actually, this game, if nothing else, proves that he _was_ born to do it.

They're up by 14 with three minutes to go, and the excitement starts to build. The starters are on the bench for a rest, but Jennings insists that they'll be out on the court when the buzzer sounds. He doesn't say _'when we win'_, but both Nathan and Robbie are pretty sure that's what he means.

They take to the court in the last minute, and they only pad the lead. The other team hardly even gets close to the zone. Peyton holds her breath as she watches the seconds tick down, and all the girls drop their pompoms and hold hands instead. All their knees seem to shake as all 10 girls on the squad stand there, hands joined and hearts racing.

Even when the final buzzer sounds and the confetti rains down, they can hardly believe it. Their boys are on the court, embracing and shouting. The girls scream and jump up and down and hug each other.

Brooke is the first of the girls to rush onto the court after her guy, and Robbie lifts her right up off the ground. Peyton is soon after, and when she gets to Nathan, he's shaking his head like he still doesn't believe it. She throws her arms around him, and he cradles the back of her head with his hand as he kisses her and lifts her up holds her close to him.

She doesn't know what to say to him when he sets her feel back on the ground, so she just kisses him again. The crowd is coming onto the court to congratulate the winning team, and it is the craziest moment he's ever experienced in his life. He just holds onto her hips and locks eyes with her, and she might be crying, but she blinks a few times, and he kisses her forehead as his family surrounds him. Peyton's dad pulls her into his side so Nathan can hug his mom and dad and whoever else is there to see him, and Larry asks her how it feels.

"Amazing," she answers, watching Nathan and Lucas embrace. "And it's not even my win."

"I know you don't believe that," Larry scoffs. She looks up at him in confusion. "Honey, every man needs a good girl at his side."

That's all he says. He doesn't wax poetic about her being there for Nathan or how much she's helped the guy or how much Nathan has accomplished since he arrived in town or even since Larry met him. He just pulls her into his side and winks at her before she looks away. Deb waves Peyton over and they hug while Nathan and Larry shake hands and embrace in that manly way.

The P.A. announcer comes over the loud speaker and starts announcing the MVP of the game, and it seems the only one who's even remotely surprised when his name is announced, is Nathan. He definitely shouldn't be surprised. He shakes his head as he walks over to get his trophy and the Omega watch that's given to the MVP, and the guys all congratulate him.

At least until they bring out the real trophy.

Aaron, the team captain, walks over to collect the hardware, and the crowd goes insane as he hoists it over his head.

The girls all come back together, and they laugh at themselves and the cliché way they all start to cry when their boys take turns lifting that trophy.

----

Once they're alone at Nathan's place that night - well, morning, since they didn't get home from the party until close to 4:00 am - they collapse onto his bed, and they laugh over her still being in her cheer uniform. The girls had been too excited to change. The guys only had because they were sweaty.

Peyton rolls onto her side to look at him, and her skirt rides up just a little bit, and he sees his initials stitched onto her uniform. He runs his fingers over the gold lettering, and she smiles sleepily.

"That reminds me," he says. He gets up and reaches for his bag, pulling his game-worn shorts out. She laughs when she sees that gold ribbon woven through the drawstring on the inside. "I'm keeping this."

"If it helps you play the way you played tonight, you can have whatever you want," she says. She rolls onto her back and he smiles at her statement before laying on top of her. He brushes her messy curls away from her face and kisses her gently.

"Whatever I want?" he asks, his voice low and his tone so sexy that it makes her breathing shallow.

"Whatever you want."

"You just want to make it with a state champion," he jokes. Her hands slip beneath his shirt at his back and she pulls him closer.

"No," she says, shaking her head. "With my boyfriend."

He's reminded again, for the hundredth (or maybe thousandth, or maybe countless) time that she doesn't care what he does, she just cares that he's him.

"God, I love you," he whispers, brushing his nose against hers. "You have no idea."

"Yes I do," she insists. She kisses him and he rests his forehead against hers. "My state champion, MVP, Duke Blue Devil boyfriend."

"You're so lucky to have me," he teases. She shifts her hips against his, just to torture him, and he groans. She'll win this game. "I'm lucky to have you." He kisses her quickly, and she starts unbuttoning his shirt. "My sexy cheerleader, artistic genius, soon-to-be-accepted-to-Duke girlfriend."

"When you put it like that," she says coyly. "You were so amazing, Nathan."

They didn't really get a chance to talk one on one after the game. There was the celebration, then the girls left separately and headed back home - well, to Aaron's place for the party - while the guys did media interviews and showered and whatever else. The girls watched the local news stations for highlights of the game, all crowded on or around the sofa with Aaron's parents.

When the guys arrived, it was shots and congratulations and speeches and a few drinking games. All Peyton wanted was to be alone with Nathan. The looks he kept giving her said he wanted the same thing.

"I was alright," he says. He's trying to be humble. The smirk he wears is giving him away.

"If that was your _alright_, I'd hate to see your best." He laughs a little bit, but then he looks pensive.

"You know what? I can be better," he says, like he's just realizing it. She smiles at him like she already knows. He loves that she does. "You know, I couldn't do all this without you."

"Shut up. Yes you could."

"No," he insists. "I couldn't. You've...Peyton, you've done so much for me without even trying."

"Why are you talking like this is the end?" she asks with a laugh.

"I just want you to know," he says. She runs her hand through his hair and toys with his earlobe, and he closes his eyes. "It's not the end. Not even close."

She laughs and nods her head right before she kisses him. They don't talk anymore after that.

But that was one hell of a promise.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N:** So, this isn't going to be done by tomorrow (obviously!) I really thought it would be. Look on the bright side - now it'll go on for longer! This just means you'll have to wait until the 20th (at least) for the next chapter, which I apologize for. Have a good week, guys!

**----**

They exchange gifts the morning of Christmas Eve before Nathan has to leave for Tree Hill. He doesn't call that place 'home' anymore, but Peyton hasn't mentioned it. He comes over early, before she's even awake, with coffee and croissants and gifts. Larry laughs when he answers the door and sees Nathan there at 8:00 am. Nathan laughs when Larry shakes his head and says, "good luck." Peyton is not a morning person.

Nathan thinks she won't mind this wake up call.

He heads up to her bedroom, and he smiles when he pushes the door open and sees her laying there, her hair a disaster and the covers pulled up to her chin. He sits on the edge of the bed and pulls her duvet back a bit, and she's wearing one of his tee shirts. It's too early (well, maybe not) and her dad is home, but he wishes they were alone. He leans down and kisses her cheek, and she doesn't move a muscle. She's a sound sleeper, that's for sure. He kisses her full on the lips and she takes a breath.

"Hi," he says, looking down at her. She's all groggy and disoriented. It's adorable.

"Tell me you have coffee."

"Good morning to you too, babe," he teases. She sits up a little bit and he hands her one of the paper cups. "You look so hot in my shirt." She grumbles something into her coffee cup, then sets it aside after taking a long sip.

"I have to get up to get your present," she tells him.

"OK."

"I'm not wearing pants."

"That's not my present?" he jokes. She hits his arm and he pulls back the covers, exposing her bare legs. The shirt she's wearing has gathered around her waist and she's wearing a pair of black boy cut underwear.

She really doesn't have to give him anything else if she doesn't want to.

"Know what sucks?" he asks as she walks over to the closet. She looks at him questioningly as she pulls on a pair of sweatpants. "It's Christmas now, your birthday's in February, and then it's Valentine's day right after."

"Well, you don't have to worry about Valentine's day," she says. She walks back into the room with two perfectly wrapped gifts in her hands. He's glad. He got her two gifts too.

"Why?"

"Because it's stupid," she says simply, sitting down so she's facing him again. "We'll just hang out and watch movies or something. I don't need a present."

"Are you sure? Because if you're saying this now, only to get mad when I don't get you anything..."

"Nope," she insists, shaking her head as she bites into a croissant. "Don't worry about it."

"Awesome," he says. He wipes a bit of chocolate off her upper lip and licks it from his thumb. He raises his brow at the look she gives him. He thinks she might be wishing her dad wasn't home too.

"Presents," she says, desperate to ignore how sexy he looks to her right now. "You want the big one first, or the little one?"

"Come on," he scoffs. "Big one."

"Of course," she says with a laugh. She hands over the bigger of the two and he shakes it a little bit, making her shake her head at him. He's like a big kid.

He peels back the paper and drops it onto the floor, and Peyton's jaw drops. She knows she's going to have to clean that up later. He shrugs his shoulder and leans forward to kiss her forehead before he opens the box.

Sitting there in a simple black frame is an amazing painting. It's the silhouettes of two people standing atop a small building with a sky full of stars. It's them, and they're kissing. Their first kiss. He has no idea when she had the time to do this.

"Peyton."

"There's more," she says.

Sure enough, he lifts a layer of tissue in the box to reveal another painting. It's one of her standing in front of a mirror, him standing behind her as she ties a black tie in her hair like a headband.

"And...I mean, I didn't have time to do any more, but I thought it could be like a series," she says, shrugging one shoulder. He smiles a little wider and shakes his head. She's amazing.

"What else would you do?" he asks, taking her hand in his.

"Like...the first Bobcats game we went to," she says. "Making out in the boy's locker room." He laughs and she smiles at him. "The first time we said _I love you_. I don't know. I'll keep you posted."

"I love it. This is amazing," he says quietly, looking back to the paintings. "Thank you."

"You don't think it's lame?" she asks, biting the corner of her lip.

"No!" he answers quickly. "God, no. It's perfect."

"Good. Because I actually got you a watch, but then you had to go win MVP and get an Omega, so..."

"Sorry," he says sincerely.

"Shut up," she laughs. She shoves him a bit and he grabs her wrist and pulls her in for a kiss. "OK, my turn. Big one please."

He laughs and hands over a decent sized box, and she unceremoniously tears the paper before balling it up and tossing it at him. She opens the box and laughs at what's inside. His Oak Lake sweatshirt with his name and number on the back. She loves that sweatshirt.

"Now you don't have to steal it," he explains.

"Stealing things is have the fun." She runs her hands over the name on the back of the sweater, and her heart flutters in her chest. For some reason, all she can think is _maybe someday_. Someday she'll have that name too, or someday they'll live together and it'll be easier to 'steal' his clothes.

"There's more," he says, echoing her words from earlier.

She pulls out that dark green sweater, and beneath it is a Duke blue one with that famous logo and lettering on the front, and his name and number on the back.

"Oh my God, I love it," she says seriously. "Nathan!"

"It's just a sweatshirt," he laughs when she moves towards him and throws her arms around his neck.

"It's _your_ sweatshirt," she corrects.

"They sent me one when I got in. I asked for another one just for you," he explains.

She thinks that might make him the sweetest guy in the world.

"Thank you," she murmurs against his neck. "OK, next." She pulls away from him and hands him a small wrapped gift. "I have to admit, dad helped me with this one."

He tears into the paper and opens the little box, and sitting there are two courtside tickets to see the Bobcats take on the Phoenix Suns. And not only that, there's a letter promising that Nathan will get the chance to meet Steve Nash, one of his all time favourite players.

He's speechless. So her dad is a congressman and can pull some strings. Even so, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and Nathan has no idea how she even came up with it. He doesn't want to know how long she's been planning this, and how hard Larry worked to set this all in place.

He honestly doesn't know what to say, so he leans forward and moves them so she's laying beneath him, and he kisses her in a way that he hopes might explain a little bit of his emotion. Apparently it works.

"You're welcome," she says quietly once they've parted.

He doesn't move away from her before handing her the other gift he's gotten her. He's laying on top of her as she removes the wrapping paper, and she gets the feeling he's not going to move at all. She's just fine with that. Inside the larger box is a small black velvet box. Her breath catches in her throat, and it has nothing to do with his weight on her. He pulls the empty box from her hand and tosses it on the floor, and all she's left with is that small velvet one.

"Nathan..."

"Relax," he tells her. He almost laughs. He did promise he wasn't going to propose. "It's nothing crazy."

She opens the box and sees an emerald cut emerald ring. A beautiful green solitaire stone set in yellow gold.

"Nate," she breathes out.

"You know," he says, taking the ring out of the box and reaching for her left hand. "The tradition at Oak Lake goes that if a guy and a girl are serious, he gives her an emerald promise ring."

She smiles. She knew that was what this ring was when she opened that box. She loves that he knows that. She loves that he wants to uphold that dated tradition. She loves that he knows her well enough to know the kind of ring she'd want.

She _loves_ that he's giving her a promise ring.

"I love you," she says. She can't think of anything else. "So much."

He slips that ring onto the ring finger of her left hand, and he can't help but notice that he doesn't even think twice about what that ring represents. He never admitted it, but with Haley, he did a little bit. Of course, that was a different promise, but still. There was a split second of doubt, where he wondered if he'd gotten himself in too deep.

This promise is better. For starters, it's with the right girl, and he's convinced of that fact. It's a promise that someday they'll be making other promises.

He's definitely alright with that.

"I love you too," he says right before he kisses her.

Given that this is their first Christmas together, they've done a pretty damn good job. Nathan later jokes that he doesn't know how they'll top it, and Peyton says that she's sure they'll find a way.

He absolutely loves that she's already thinking they're going to have a lot of Christmases together. The way he sees her toying with and looking at that ring when she doesn't think he's paying attention tells him that she's just as invested in all those future promises as he is.

----

Nathan spends a few days in Tree Hill with his family. Peyton can't go with him, since her dad is home and they've got relatives coming in from out of state. She's happy to see her family, of course, but she hates how much she misses Nathan. Not only because she just wishes he was around, but because she was never the kind of girl who missed her boyfriend so much after not seeing him for only a few days.

But then again, she never dated Nathan before, either. That probably explains it all.

She calls him the day after Christmas - he'd called her the night before - and he's out of breath when he answers the phone.

"What are you doing?" she asks laughingly.

"Guess."

"Right," she says. Of course, he's playing ball. "Who are you playing with?"

"Luke, Skills, Junk, Fergie, Keith and my dad," he explains.

"Really?"she asks doubtfully.

"I know. Weird, right?" he laughs. He takes a seat on the bleachers at the River Court and ignores the way the guys tease him a bit. They obviously know who he's talking to. "What are you up to?"

"I'm bored. I don't know what my life was like before I met this hot shot basketball player," she says.

"Well, you're probably better off with him, than without him."

"Shut up, smart ass," she mumbles. "Claire visiting Duncan, Catherine is with her dad in Richmond, Ginny's grandparents are in town..."

"Where's Brooke?"

"She and Robbie are exchanging gifts today," Peyton explains. "I'm bored."

"You said that already," he points out as he laughs. "I wish you were here."

Peyton laughs when she hears the guys groaning in the background and Nathan telling them to shut up. "I'll let you go before you start throwing punches," Peyton says, making him chuckle.

"Alright."

"Tell everyone I say hi."

"I will," he promises.

"Come over tomorrow when you get home," she requests.

"You'll be my first stop."

"Alright. Bye."

"Hey!" he calls before she can hang up.

"What?" she asks.

"I love you," he says. He doesn't care that the guys have all taken a break and are gathered around him. He's in love with this girl, and he misses her, and he wants her to know it. And anyway, they don't seem to think that statement - those three words - are worth making fun of him for anyway.

"Love you too."

He hangs up and he has a smile on his face, and he takes the ball from Lucas and heads back onto the court.

It's actually been kind of nice to be back in Tree Hill. Now that he and Lucas have reconciled and he's talking to his dad again, it's good to be here. His mom and dad are being civil towards one another, and Cooper has just bought a place in town. Keith and Karen got engaged Christmas morning, and Lucas is healthy and dealing well with his heart condition. Nathan even had a non-so-bad talk with Haley on Christmas Eve at the party Karen threw for everyone.

Things have changed. He's matured, and so has everyone else. His family is still really messed up, but at least there aren't any grudges, and there's certainly no more hatred. He likes it, he decides. He thinks he might visit more often. As long as he can bring a certain blonde with him.

God, he misses her.

----

They all decide it's very weird when they get back to school. Without basketball practice and games on Friday nights, they don't really know what to do with themselves. Since the school only really has one sports team - the track team doesn't need cheerleaders - the girls get pretty bored too. Coach Jennings still runs a mandatory practice once a week, just to keep his college-bound players (which is most of the team) in game shape. Matt and Robbie both got into their schools, but they've all decided to save the rivalries until next year.

The girls are all still waiting. Impatiently. Well, Ginny got early acceptance to the California Institute of Technology, but since Matt got into Wake Forrest, she's thinking of something closer to home. Besides, Caltech isn't even her first choice.

"We need to _do_ something," Brooke proclaims, sitting herself down at the lunch table with the rest of her friends.

"Like what?" Claire asks before taking a bite of her yogurt.

"I drove my SUV. We could blow of the afternoon. Catch a movie or something," Matt says, shrugging his shoulder.

"Please," Brooke says incredulously. "No. I mean..._something_. A trip or a big party or...I don't know. I'm dying here."

"A trip?" Ginny asks, smirking like she's already hatching a plan.

"Guys, we have school," Aaron points out. "We can't just randomly all take a trip."

"Um, why not?" Brooke asks. "We're seniors. We've already applied to colleges. The guys have already all gotten in. Why can't we?"

"She's got a point," Nathan says. He looks at Peyton, who's looking at him in amusement with one eyebrow raised. "Come on, babe, your dad has to have a vacation house somewhere."

Everyone laughs, but Peyton just shakes her head. "My dad doesn't have time for a vacation."

"Where should we go?" Catherine asks.

"Doesn't your grandfather have a ranch in Kentucky?" Claire asks, turning to Robbie.

"Nope," Robbie says, popping a chip into his mouth. "I do."

"What?" Brooke cries. How did she not know this?

"He sold it to me for a dollar a couple years ago," Robbie explains.

"Why a dollar?" Nathan asks.

"That's what you're asking?" Ginny laughs.

Only Peyton and Matt knew about that little sale. Robbie's grandfather still lives there and has a bunch of ranch hands to help take care of the horses and cattle, but Robbie technically owns the whole operation. According to the old man, he wanted to make sure that no one 'swindled' his grandson out of it. He didn't want it to get tied up in all sorts of legalities, so he took care of it when Robbie turned 16.

"Tell me more," Brooke insists.

Robbie tells the whole story, explaining that he's got over 100 acres of farmland with three houses on it, including the log cabin, the old farmhouse, and the guest house where the ranch hands reside. He says that right now, given that it's January, the weather isn't great for any real activities, but they can all certainly (probably) go and enjoy a little escape. Maybe a little horseback riding and some lounging by fireside.

"Let's do it," Peyton says. They've all been quiet for a few moments, trying to figure out what they should do. They all kind of look at her like she's crazy, but she just smiles back. "Come on! I hate just waiting for acceptance letters. Let's go!"

They all start talking amongst themselves and Nathan leans over to kiss just below her ear, just like she loves him to, and she can't help but close her eyes. And wish that they were somewhere else altogether.

"You're sexy when you're spontaneous," he whispers.

They blow off the rest of their afternoon.

Peyton stands from the table and grabs Nathan's hand, and she simply tells their friends to let them know the details. She pulls him towards her car and they drive to his place, and they're not even through the door before she's tugging at his clothes.

Yup. She's definitely sexy when she's spontaneous.

----

They plan the trip to be five days long. Their parents all give them the OK and talk to the headmaster, who seems to not care too much. Robbie's grandfather is thrilled to have so many visitors coming, and more importantly, he wants to meet this girl of his grandson's. Brooke isn't nervous at all. After all, the rest of Robbie's family loves her.

The day before they leave, right after school, Peyton is listening to Lupe Fiasco and dropping things into her suitcase and, alright, kind of dancing around her bedroom as she gathers her things. She's excited. Their group hasn't ever been away on an actual vacation - away games and tournaments don't count - and obviously not since Nathan and Brooke arrived. She can't wait.

It doesn't hurt that she and Nathan are driving alone. Robbie is driving Brooke, Claire and Aaron, while Matt drives Ginny and Catherine in his SUV. Their schedules didn't all work out to only take two cars. Peyton's just fine with that. Spending time alone with Nathan is never a bad thing, if you ask her.

She's just dropped that sweatshirt of Nathan's that he gave her, well, both sweatshirts, into her suitcase, when Brooke walks into her room and very dramatically throws herself onto Peyton's bed.

"What's with you?" Peyton asks, laughing at Brooke.

"Nothing. I'm bored. Everyone's packing."

"Are you waiting until the last minute or something?" Peyton folds a pair of jeans and Brooke props herself up on her elbow.

"Um. No. I've been packed since, like, Monday," Brooke says, like it should just be that obvious. She watches as Peyton puts another few items in her suitcase. "How many sweatshirts are you bringing!?"

"It's gonna be cold!"

"Are those _riding_ boots?" Brooke asks, hopping up off her bed and reaching for the tan-coloured leather boots.

"I...used to ride when I was little," Peyton explains. "I asked for a pony, and..."

"And daddy Sawyer got you one."

"Like Brooke never got everything she ever wanted," Peyton says, putting her hand on her hip. She takes the boots and tucks them into her mostly-full suitcase. "Anyway, turns out I wasn't so into show jumping, I just liked the footwear. I just keep buying these boots."

"Well, they _are_ fashionable," Brooke says. Peyton nods, then they both start laughing. Brooke catches sight of that amazing ring on Peyton's left hand, and she doesn't want to wait to ask anymore. "So, when Nathan gave you the ring...I mean, how did you take it?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is...When the hell is Robbie gonna give _me_ one?" Brooke all but pouts.

Peyton laughs and goes over to sit next to Brooke on the bed. "Well first of all, I almost passed out," she admits. "With Nathan, you see a ring box, and..."

"Right," Brooke says, laughing at the still-messed-up situation.

"He told me he loves me, and he put the ring on my finger, and that was kind of it." Peyton twirls the ring around on her finger and looks at it as she smiles - she loves that ring so much - and then she realizes something. "Brooke, are you in love with Robbie?"

"I'm..."

"You _are_!"

"I'm...yeah, but I..." Brooke stutters, playing with her hands.

"You're scared," Peyton says, like it's a fact. "I was too. Sort of. It was..."

"You want him to know, but you're just not sure how to say it," Brooke finishes.

"Exactly."

"So what do I say?"

"You say_ 'Robbie, I love you'_," Peyton says.

"Peyton!"

"I'm serious!" Peyton laughs. "Brooke, I think he's loved you since you visited in September. So...yeah."

"Really?" Brooke asks hopefully.

"I've known him almost all my life, and he's never been like this," Peyton explains. "Just tell him."

"You really think he'll say it back?"

"Brooke, sometimes it's not about the person saying it back. It's about just _saying_ it," Peyton says seriously.

Brooke nods her head and catches sight of a photo of Peyton and Nathan hanging on the wall. It's a game night, and Nathan's looking at Peyton like she's the most gorgeous girl in the world. He's sweaty, and she looks perfect, and that's just the way it's supposed to be. Peyton follows Brooke's gaze and takes a look at that photo she loves so much.

"It's crazy," Peyton says softly.

"What?"

She doesn't want to say what she's really talking about, but she knows Brooke will badger her until she says it.

"How in love with him I am," Peyton admits.

"He feels the same," Brooke says quietly. "He hasn't told me that, but I can tell."

Peyton doesn't know what to say to that. She just smiles and nods her head.

She can tell too.

----

Nathan comes over shortly after Brooke leaves, and he's sleeping over for the first time because they have to leave so early. It's not that Larry doesn't approve of them spending the night together, they just haven't done it. Nathan says it's out of respect for Peyton's father, and she says it's just 'creepy' to sleep in a bed with her boyfriend when her dad is right down the hall.

But when he comes over and he's got his bag slung over his shoulder, she starts thinking she doesn't care. He's wearing the jeans she loves and a plain black tee shirt, and he drops his things by the stairs and wraps his arm around her waist as they walk to the kitchen. Sandra is there, finishing up the last batch of cookies she's volunteered to make for the 'kids', and when Nathan looks at her with puppy dog eyes, she tells him to go ahead and have one.

"You're just a big kid!" Peyton laughs as he smiles triumphantly, then bites into a fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie.

Larry walks in and gives Sandra a shockingly similar look, and Nathan starts laughing.

"What?" Larry asks with his mouth full.

"Dad! Gross!"

"What?" he repeats innocently. Nathan laughs again and swipes another couple cookies when Sandra isn't looking, passing one to Larry, who nods appreciatively.

"Come on," Peyton says, glancing at Nathan. "We should get some sleep. We have to get up early."

"'Night Larry. Thanks, Sandra," Nathan says. She shoots him a wink and Peyton shakes her head when he takes another cookie as soon as Sandra has turned around. Larry kisses Peyton's forehead, then Nathan slips that cookie into her palm as they're walking out of the room. "I stole that for you," he whispers.

"So badass," she teases.

"I am!"

"Honey, cookie stealing isn't what makes you a badass."

"What does?" he asks. "And did you just call me honey?"

She turns around to look at him, and he's checking out her ass as she walks up the stairs ahead of him. He smirks when she catches him, and she drapes her arms over his shoulders.

"_That_ is what makes you badass," she murmurs as he leans in to kiss her. Speaking of asses, he reaches down with both hands and cups her behind, and she laughs against his lips. "So much for being worried about dad being home."

"Fuck it," he says quietly, shrugging his shoulder. "You're too sexy."

She lets out a puff of air and shakes her head. "Let's just go to bed."

"Sounds good to me," he mumbles. He doesn't let her go. Instead, he picks her up, forcing her to stifle a yelp and wrap her legs around his waist, and he carries her the rest of the way to the bedroom. He lays her down on the bed, and he marvels at the fact that he's carried her, making out, and accomplished all that with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

"I have a cookie to eat," she says, shoving him away gently. He purses his lips, and she can tell he's got something dirty (maybe several dirty things) in mind. She takes a bite, and he kisses her hard without warning before she's swallowed, tasting the melting chocolate and the sweet sugar. "That's disgusting!" she squeals after he's pulled away.

"Please," he scoffs. "After everything we've done together, you think that's disgusting?"

"Nathan," she whispers, her cheeks turning pink.

"You're so cute," he says adoringly, reaching up to tap her nose.

"Shut up."

"You are. Just...perfect."

"I'm not perfect," she insists. She pushes his weight off her and walks to the door and pushes it closed. She clicks the lock - she's not sure why - and when she turns around, Nathan is propped up on his elbows and looking at her with his brow raised.

"You just locked it," he muses. She shrugs her shoulders and walks to her closet for pajamas, and he follows her. He wraps his arms around her from behind, his hands immediately slipping beneath the sweater she wears, and he murmurs in her ear. "A little presumptuous, don't you think?"

"Says the guy with his hands in my shirt?"

"I'm alone in this big room with my girlfriend," he says, and she feels him shrug his shoulder as he starts to kiss her neck. "Who, by the way, is hot as hell."

"The walls aren't soundproof," she says, not really joking at all. His hands move up a little higher, and he continues kissing her, and she hates that she has to stop this at some point.

"So we'll be quiet."

"I..." She loses her words when he finds that one spot on her neck, then she's melting into him and she feels him smirking against her skin. "Nathan."

"You can say my name all you want," he says, not even bothering to disguise all the ways he means that. "Until I hear you say no, I'm going to keep doing this."

One of his hands reaches for the button of her jeans, and it takes absolutely everything in her power to push it away. "I'm sorry," she says, turning around so she's facing him. "It's just..."

"I know," he says knowingly. He smirks roguishly and watches as she pulls her shirt up over her head. "But hey, you let me feel you up in your closet, so...that's cool."

"Stop it!" she laughs. "Take off your shirt." He raises his brow and she rolls her eyes. "I want to sleep in it."

He does as he's told and they stand together in her bathroom, her in that black tee shirt, and him in just his boxers, brushing their teeth. She laughs at him when he splashes water on his face, and he's not entirely sure why. It doesn't matter, he decides, since he kind of loves to hear her laugh no matter what.

They lay down in her bed and he immediately pulls her back against his chest, and his hand rests on her thigh the way it always does. He can smell her shampoo and that curl enhancer stuff she uses, and he smiles. He makes fun of her for using so much 'shit' (meaning, beauty products) since she really doesn't need them, but he does love that unique combination of scents.

"See?" he says quietly. "This isn't creepy."

She wants to say that very little can be considered creepy when he's holding her like that, but she knows that's incredibly lame. She switches off the light and he kisses her temple.

"Not really," she admits. "Hey Nathan?"

"Yeah," he says. He loves that she'll get his attention like that when she really doesn't need to.

"If we both go to Duke next year, you want to live together?" Her voice is small, like she doesn't know what he'll say to that, and he almost wants to tell her she's insane to even think she has to ask.

"Yeah," he almost whispers. "And there's no _if_. You're getting in."

She doesn't say anything more. She lets out a contented sigh and closes her eyes, and she loves that they'll live together and that he's so confident that she'll get in on her own merits. The thing she loves most about this relationship - the thing that leads her to believe that this is for good - is that they have faith in one another, but not to a fault. They're honest. If he didn't truly believe she'd get in, he wouldn't tell her so. That's what makes her trust him so much, and trusting people isn't something that ever came easily to her.

With Nathan, most things are easy, and the things that aren't are worth working for.


	26. Chapter 26

It's late when they arrive at the ranch. Robbie and Brooke get there first, followed by Nathan and Peyton. Matt gets lost, to the surprise of no one, and they show up an hour later. Robbie's grandfather, a hilarious old man named Harold who wears Wranglers and plaid button down shirts, greets them all and gives some advice about silly things, like the old plumbing in the house, and how to light the fireplace in the cabin. He says that the boys are welcome to get up early and help with chores, and once Robbie volunteers, they all find themselves agreeing, much to the girls' surprise.

Robbie and Brooke, Aaron and Catherine are staying in the main house with Robbie's grandfather, who immediately asks if there's something going on with Aaron and Catherine. They both shake their heads, but Peyton cocks her brow at her girlfriend. She's been saying forever that those two would be great together.

Ginny and Matt, Nathan and Peyton, and Claire are all staying in the cabin, which sounds far more rustic than it is. It's a gorgeous new log structure only a few hundred feet from the main house, beautifully decorated by Robbie's mom and aunts. There are three large bedrooms and a great room that looks out over pasture and the nearby forest on the property. The kitchen is well-equipped, and Peyton gets everyone a bottle of water.

"It's amazing up here," Peyton says.

"How come we've never come here before?" Matt asks, shaking his head as he looks outside at the dark sky, filled with stars.

"I don't know," Peyton says. Nathan wraps his arms around her from behind, and Ginny tucks into Matt's side.

"This sucks," Claire huffs, throwing herself down on the sofa. The other four people in the room turn to her and look at her like she's crazy. "You're all paired off! Stupid Duncan."

"Yes. It's really unfortunate that you've had a loving and committed boyfriend for three years and he's off at MIT researching cures for scoliosis or whatever," Peyton says, making everyone laugh.

"He's not _here_," Claire pouts.

Peyton and Ginny exchange a look before rushing over to the sofa and both flopping down on either side of her, starting a group hug that makes Claire smile. Nathan and Matt just laugh and shake their heads.

"_We_ are better looking than Duncan," Ginny claims.

"Yes," Matt says seriously.

"You so aren't," Claire says with a laugh. "But as long as I don't need, like, earplugs or something at night...."

"Claire!" Peyton cries. They all lose it then, because they're tired and it's late and nothing really makes any sense anymore. "I need sleep."

"We don't want bitchy Peyton in the morning," Matt insists.

"Or ever," Nathan adds.

Peyton glares at her boyfriend and punches Matt's arm on the way by and he curses her.

"Night guys. See you in the morning," Peyton says as she takes Nathan's hand.

They walk up the stairs to their bedroom for the duration of their stay, and Nathan immediately pulls off his shirt when the door is closed. He announces that he's going down the hall to use the bathroom, and Peyton changes into her pajamas. She was right. It's cold. She pulls on a pair of flannel pants and a matching button down top - she and Catherine went shopping a couple days before and got similar sets. Neither cared about the ridicule they're sure to receive, they just want to be warm.

When Nathan walks back into the room, Peyton is all burrowed into the bed, covered by the thick quilt and multiple sets of sheets. He steps out of his jeans, and Peyton wants to comment on how close to freezing she is, while he's practically naked standing there in just his boxers. She doesn't have to, though.

"It's fucking freezing," he says, laughing at himself. She nods her head, and the smile she gives him, all sleepy and adorable, has him moving towards the bed instantly. He's pretty stoked that she's already got it all warm.

He pulls back the covers to get in and sees what she's wearing, and he smirks and raises his brow. "Don't say anything," she demands. He holds up his hands before slipping into bed and curling up as close to her as he can get. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he says quietly. He kisses her temple as she rests her head on his chest. "I think you look good in plaid."

"Stop."

"I'm serious," he insists, running his hand over her flannel-clad hip. "I like it."

"Maybe someday we'll live somewhere cold and I can wear these every night," she mumbles sleepily.

He doesn't say anything because she's already falling asleep in his arms, but he's absolutely floored that she's thinking of the future like that. Beyond high school and college, even. Years down the road. He also wonders if he should find it odd that she looks so damn good in such clothes. He realizes that she'll look good in anything, though he's already learned that lesson 100 times over.

----

True to their word, the guys wake up early in the morning and help with chores. They aren't given any tasks too difficult or with much risk to mess up. They sling hay like they were born to do it - 'strapping boys', Harold says - and laugh at one another. Matt saddles up a couple horses, knowing the girls will want to ride later, and Nathan watches on appreciatively. He may have muscle, but he has no clue what goes into running a ranch. There are a lot of weird smells and sounds, and it's nice to visit, but he doesn't necessarily care to live on one. He watches Harold feed a couple really mean looking bulls, and he can only shake his head. Robbie is the only one who doesn't look even a little bit scared.

"What do you think the girls are doing?" Aaron asks as they walk back to the main house. It snowed a little overnight, and it's all green and white around them. It's kind of beautiful.

"They better be making breakfast," Matt says, stretching his tired arms over his head. He may be in game shape, but he's certainly not in ranching shape.

"Are you kidding me?" Nathan laughs. "It's barely 8:30. They're definitely sleeping."

Sure enough, when they walk into the main house, there's not a sound. The rooms are all empty, and even Brooke and Catharine's rooms are empty. The guys all exchange confused looks before walking right back out the door. It's too cold to walk to the cabin, so they all take off running, challenging and taunting one another. Robbie, always the fastest of the bunch, gets there first. He waits on the porch for the rest of them to join him, then they push open the door.

It's completely silent. There's definitely no cooking going on. All the bedroom doors are closed, and while Nathan checks his room, Aaron pushes the door to Claire's room open. They both shake their heads. Matt walks to his bedroom and he laughs when he sees the sight inside.

All five girls all cuddled together, tangled up, laying chest to back on their sides, sleeping soundly on that king sized bed. There's no way it's comfortable, and the guys just shake their heads. Matt reaches for the camera that's sitting on the dresser next to the door and snaps a couple photos. He's sure the girls will appreciate documentation of that. The guys are looking at him when he turns around, and he shrugs his shoulder and pulls the door closed again before they make their way back downstairs.

"So what now?" Robbie asks.

"We could make breakfast," Nathan suggests. The rest of the guys look at him like he's nuts. "What? We could."

"So we get up at the ass crack of dawn, feed a bunch of animals, and they get to sleep in and get served breakfast?" Matt says incredulously. "That hardly sounds fair."

"Fair," Nathan scoffs. "It's called being nice. And trust me, it'll be worth it." The grin he flashes them leaves no room for misunderstanding. "Come on. We all have to have a specialty. I do eggs."

"Toast," Robbie claims. Of course he picks the one thing you can't screw up.

"I'm good with bacon," Matt says.

They all look at Aaron and he shrugs. "I can do anything."

"Anything?" Nathan asks doubtfully.

"Dude's like, practically a chef," Robbie says. Nathan always forgets that Aaron's parents own the two nicest restaurants in Oak Lake.

They get to work. Matt searches for aprons, just to be a complete goof, and the only one he can find has big purple flowers on it. He doesn't seem to care. He pulls it on over his head and ties it in the back while the other guys pull the things they'll need from the fridge. Robbie is tasked with setting the table until it's time to start toasting things, and to their surprise, he does a pretty good job. They all try to make as little noise as possible, though Nathan argues that if they all had to get up so early and the girls are all still sleeping, if they wake up now, they really don't have anything to complain about. Aaron finds some potatoes for hash browns, and while those are cooking, he assembles yogurt parfaits. Matt mumbles 'show off', but Aaron doesn't seem fazed.

"Wait," Aaron says. The rest of the guys turn to him and he continues. "Who has to go wake them up when the food's ready?"

"Not it!" Nathan says quickly. Robbie and Aaron do the same thing almost at the same time.

Matt is last. The rest of the guys laugh. That's definitely going to be the worst job any of them have done all morning.

----

When Peyton wakes up, she's sandwiched between two people, and Brooke's ponytail is brushing against her face. She has no idea how she slept like this. The rest of the girls, she assumes, are still asleep. She can't see the clock, but she can hear some noise coming from downstairs, so she knows it must me sometime around...OK, so she has no clue. All she knows is that someone's elbow or something is digging into her side, and she doesn't like it.

She pinches Brooke's arm, and Brooke awakes with a squeal. Peyton and Brooke are in the center of the bed, and so when Brooke turns around to playfully (or maybe not so playfully) swat Peyton, and Peyton cowers and laughs, the other girls all wake up too.

"What the hell?" Ginny asks. "What time is it? Whose knee is digging into my thigh?"

"Mine," Claire says groggily. "And it's...9:36."

They all move around a little bit, and Catherine stands from the bed and fixes her hair, pulling it into a ponytail. They hear a chorus of laughter from downstairs, and they all exchange glances.

"What are they doing down there?" Brooke asks. She stands up and stuffs her cold hands into the pocket of the sweatshirt of Robbie's that she's wearing.

It's funny, Peyton notes. Ginny is in Matt's sweatshirt, Brooke is in Robbie's, and Claire has on an MIT sweatshirt. Peyton and Catherine are the warmest in their flannel pajamas, and when the other girls all came into the house, Peyton and Catherine heard some sleepy comments about their attire. They didn't care. Now Brooke's eyeing Peyton's plaid like she wants it for herself.

"They're making breakfast," Peyton says. She's the last one left laying in bed, propped up on her elbows, and the other girls look at her like she's talking gibberish. "I smell bacon. And Nathan's scrambled eggs."

"Well come on, then," Brooke insists, heading for the door. "I'm starving."

They all trudge downstairs, and Ginny laughs when she sees her boyfriend standing there, drinking a cup of coffee and wearing a ridiculous apron. That's kind of what she adores about him. He makes her laugh no matter what.

Nathan sends Peyton a wink, and she doesn't know if it's that she's just woken up or what, but she feels her heart race and she thinks she might be blushing. She walks towards him and he pulls her into his arms, and the rest of the guys do the same with their girls, and there are three separate quiet little conversations going on while Aaron, Claire, and Catherine start dishing out food.

They take their time eating. The guys talk about their morning and helping out on the farm and how it was kind of cool. Robbie explains that there are a bunch of horses all ready to ride for whoever wants to, and Peyton says she can't wait. Nathan knows she used to ride and that she's been looking forward to that most. The girls do the dishes. Well, Ginny, Claire, and Peyton do the dishes while Catherine and Brooke go back to the main house to get dressed for their day.

Once they're all outside and bundled up, Nathan takes a moment to just admire his girl. She's wearing brown leather riding boots and matching gloves, and her hair is pulled up into a ponytail. She's got a black down-filled jacket on, and she's walking through the snow, laughing with Robbie. She looks amazing. She looks like she loves it here. She looks like maybe she belongs on an acreage with some horses and a few dogs running around and snow on the ground.

He watches on as she mounts the beautiful brown and white horse she's riding for the day, and she does it so naturally that he has to smile to himself. He and Brooke are the only ones not riding; Brooke is afraid of horses after getting thrown from one as a small child, and Nathan just doesn't want to. Even Peyton's best pouty face and pleading eyes couldn't make him do it.

Brooke tucks into Nathan's side, wrapping her arm around his waist, and he lazily throws his arm over her shoulder. They watch on as Robbie runs his hand down his horse's mane a few times and talks to the animal as though it'll understand. And it's _his_ horse. His grandfather dubbed it his as soon as it was born a couple years prior. When Robbie spent a few weeks there the summer prior, he broke that horse - Tucker - himself. He mounts the horse and trots over to where Peyton is, and he says something that makes her laugh, throwing her head back like she does when something's particularly funny.

Nathan can't help but smile.

"What are you thinking right now?" Brooke asks. It's just she and Nathan standing aside and watching their friends, and she wants to know.

"What?"

"Just now, when you were looking at her. What were you thinking?" Brooke elaborates. Nathan sticks his hands in his pockets and smiles to himself before looking at Brooke.

Sure, he could lie and just say that he loves his girlfriend or that she has that ridiculous laugh that is so endearing. He could say she looks sexy, or that he thinks it's funny how close she and Robbie are. But he doesn't want to lie to Brooke, especially not about this. He's never really been one - well, not in recent years - to hide his feelings, and he certainly doesn't want to do it now.

"I was thinking I'm going to marry that girl someday," he admits. He glances down at Brooke, and she smiles and shakes her head.

"Does she know that?" she asks.

"I haven't told her. She knows it though," he says with confidence. He knows that Brooke will hear what that means. That means that Peyton wants to marry him someday too.

They're only in high school, and maybe they shouldn't say things like that or feel things like that, but he does. They do.

"I'm in love with Robbie," Brooke says out of nowhere.

Nathan chuckles and pulls away from her a little bit. "I know."

"Peyton told you?"

"No," he says, shaking his head. "I can tell. I know you, Brooke."

Brooke opens her mouth to say something, but she's interrupted.

"Scott!" Peyton shouts. "Get over here!" Nathan shakes his head and walks over to where his girlfriend is, and he pets the horse she's on and places his hand on Peyton's thigh. "You sure you don't want to come?"

"Yeah. Go ahead. We'll be fine here," Nathan promises. The way he says it lets her know that one of the reasons he's staying behind is so that Brooke doesn't have to be alone, and Peyton loves him for that.

"OK," Peyton says. She leans down and kisses him quickly, though it's not easy to do, given their current positions. "See you in a couple hours."

"Have fun."

Robbie is slightly less subtle. Brooke won't even go near Robbie's horse, or any of the horses, so he's yelling at her across the yard. She's not giving an inch, not that anyone really thought she would. He calls her a baby, and she tells him he's pushing his luck, whatever that means. She walks back over to Nathan, and Peyton says something to Robbie that neither Brooke nor Nathan can hear. They can only assume it's about them, with the way their significant others cast glances their way.

"So what are we gonna do for a couple hours while they're out?" Brooke asks.

"Something inside."

"Um...yeah," Brooke says with a laugh, like that part was obvious.

"I say we start a fire, make some hot chocolate, put on some music, and just...hang out," he says.

She nods her head and they take one last look at their friends, all trotting along the path leading to the tree line at the edge of the property that'll serve as their riding trail.

The two brunettes spend the rest of their morning and early afternoon sipping hot cocoa - the one thing Brooke says she's an expert at, and Nathan won't disagree - and listening to the only radio station that comes in clear enough to bear. It's a country western station, but they find themselves actually enjoying it. They find a bunch of board games in one of the closets, and they challenge each other to a game of dirty Scrabble, just like they used to play at parties in Tree Hill, and they give each other bonus points for being extra dirty. Nathan wins the game. Marginally.

Brooke's reading through a decade-old issue of National Geographic and Nathan's fast asleep on the other sofa when everyone comes back from their ride. Brooke holds her finger up to her lips - Nathan's been bitching about being tired all day - but Peyton's having none of it. She walks right over and sits down on his lap, and he barely stirs. She takes drastic measures. She takes her almost frozen hand out of her glove and places it on his stomach beneath his shirt.

"Fuck!" he says sleepily. "You're evil."

She leans down and kisses him while Brooke tells everyone there's hot chocolate in the big pot on the stove, and they all question her methods until they each taste it, and they're convinced. Everyone's milling around in the kitchen, but Nathan and Peyton haven't moved.

"How was it?" he asks.

"So fun. I wish you had come," she says. "It's beautiful here."

"You like the snow, huh?"

"I love it," she admits. "I can see myself living someplace like this."

"Yeah?" he asks, smiling up at her.

"Yeah. Montana or Colorado or something," she says. She notices the adoring look on his face, but he doesn't say anything. "What?"

"Nothing," he says. "You just look amazing right now."

"Whatever," she scoffs.

"You do," he insists. "Your hair is a disaster and your cheeks are all pink. Your hands are freezing. You're beautiful."

"Thank you," she says quietly, running her hand through his hair. "You look so sexy when you're sleeping, you know that?"

"So why'd you wake me up."

"Because I don't want the other girls seeing you like that and making moves," she says jokingly. "You're all mine, Scott."

"I do like the way that sounds," he admits.

"You girls want some hot chocolate or something?" Matt calls into the great room where Peyton and Nathan are trading kisses.

Nathan can't say he loves the way Matt always calls him a girl if he's talking to Peyton in quiet tones, but he will admit that he's usually talking about his feelings or something, so whatever. He'd probably do the same to any of his guy friends.

"I do," Peyton says. "How do you feel about bringing it over to me?" She bats her lashes dramatically and smiles over at Matt, who curses beneath his breath but begins pouring a mug for her.

They all pile into the living room and sit and talk for a couple hours, and Brooke muses that it feels really good to be away, and she very seriously says thank you to everyone for being so nice to her after she moved, and how she feels like she's finally found a place where she fits in and doesn't have to hide any part of who she is. The girls all pile onto the sofa, Ginny squishing Robbie in the process, and hug Brooke, and she honestly almost cries. Nathan just smiles at his oldest friend and she smiles back, and she knows he feels the same as she does about this group of amazing friends they have.

Matt finds a deck of cards and some plastic poker chips and insists that they should play Texas Hold 'Em later. Everyone agrees, and while Ginny and Claire talk about what they're going to make for dinner - they've volunteered - Peyton slips her hand into Nathan's and leans over to speak into his ear.

"Come for a walk with me," she requests.

Even if he didn't want to, he couldn't say no to her. But he's been inside all day and taking a walk through the snow with his beautiful girl seems like kind of the best idea in the world. They pull on their jackets and Peyton slips back into those boots of hers and pulls on a pair of warm mittens, and Nathan says they'll be back in a bit.

As soon as they're outside, Peyton slips her arm through his, and he kisses her temple as they start walking. They don't know where they're going, but it doesn't matter. She just wants to share her love of this place with him, and he just wants to be with her, wherever they are.

"Look at you," he says, shaking his head.

"What?"

"I can't believe how much you love it here."

"I know," she says with a laugh. "It's weird. I've never spent a ton of time in places like this, but it feels...I dunno. Right or something." He nods his head, but she doesn't see it. "That sounds stupid."

"No it doesn't," he insists. "Not at all."

"Where do you want to live?" she asks, looking up at him.

He smirks at her and stops walking, and he kisses her when she moves to stand in front of him.

"Wherever you are," he says. It's not a lie.

She kisses him hard and wraps her arms around his neck, and he pulls her as close as he can. Apparently she likes his answer. He takes her hand in his and he can feel the ring he gave her through her mitten, and he smiles to himself. He never would have guessed they'd come this far in such a short amount of time, but when he realizes that he's been with her longer than he was (technically) with Haley, he's reminded again how much better this relationship is than that other one.

He lets go of her hand after a while and it's getting dark and they're basically back at the cabin, but he walks ahead of her a little bit. He's got an idea that is very lame but very cute, and he's about to turn to face her again. She hits him square in the middle of the back with a massive snowball, and she starts laughing when he turns to her with a scowl on his face. She puts her hand on her hip like a challenge, and she cocks her brow.

"Oh, it's _on_," he says, reaching down to make a snowball. She runs towards the house squealing, but he chases after her. "You better run, Sawyer!"

He pelts her in the behind with a snowball, leaving a big wet spot on the back pocket of her jeans.

"Nathan!" she shouts.

"You started this!"

"Don't be mean! I'm a girl!" she reminds him.

He walks over to her, ready to declare a truce, but she hits him with a perfectly made snowball, right in the thigh, and he wastes no time tackling her to the ground. They're both cold, and they are both going to be soaking wet, but he doesn't really care.

"You give?" he asks.

"Never," she says softly. Her breathing is laboured, and it has everything to do with the fact that he's laying on top of her and nothing to do with the fact that he's been chasing her.

"You sure?" He smirks at her as he runs his hand over her thigh, and his warm hand combined with how cold her leg is, is creating an amazing sensation that makes her close her eyes. He kisses her, then, and she holds him close to her.

"OK," she says once they've parted. "You win."

"I always win," he reminds her. She rolls her eyes only because it's basically true. "You know, I was going to do something cute for you, but then you got all mean."

"What were you going to do?" she asks.

"Hang on." He gets up and extends his hand and pulls her up with him, and then he walks over and picks up a perfectly formed pine cone from where it sits beneath a big tree in the yard next to the cabin. "I can't pick flowers, so I was going to give you one of these."

She smiles at him and gets up on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him. "That's so cute," she says. "Very cheesy, but cute."

"You're so mean to me!" he claims.

"Oh, stop it. I'm not mean," she says, taking the pine cone from him. She's laughing though, because her actions in the past little while have proven otherwise. "You know I love you."

He smirks and pulls her against him. "Yeah, I do."

"I'm all cold," she says as a cold chill runs through her. She looks up at him through her eyelashes and gives him a private little smirk. "Want to warm me up?"

"God, yes."

Apparently, the way they're looking at each other when they walk into the house is indication enough to their friends that they need some alone time. No one questions it when they don't say a word to anyone else and head straight for the stairs, and Robbie turns up the radio while the girls cook and the guys open a few beers.

Nathan and Peyton spend the next half hour curled up beneath the sheets, just fooling around and laughing with each other about how weird it is, and how weird it isn't, that they're doing this with basically everyone they know in the same house as them at the moment.

"I don't care," Nathan says, kissing along her neck and running his hand over her hip.

She really doesn't care either.


	27. Chapter 27

Nathan and Peyton are curled up together, sleeping in their bed on the third day of their little getaway, and they aren't crazy about the way they're woken up.

"Guess what!?" Brooke cries, running into the room and jumping up onto the bed, wiggling her way between the couple.

"I hate you," Peyton grumbles.

"_You_ might hate me, but Robbie _loves me_!" Brooke says, unable to contain her glee. "He said it! He said it _first_!"

"What the hell time is it, Davis?" Nathan asks, rubbing his eyes. He's happy for her, but he doesn't care this early in the morning.

"Like, 7:30," she tells him.

"You woke us up at 7:30 in the morning to tell us this?" Peyton asks, glaring at Brooke.

"It's important! And...it's actually kind of like, 6:30," Brooke says, scrunching her nose.

"Where is he?" Nathan asks.

"Chores," Brooke says simply. She burrows beneath the blankets, and Nathan stares at her, trying to figure out what the hell she's up to. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Peyton asks angrily. "You woke us up, now you're going back to sleep?"

"You can too," Brooke says, as though there's nothing to be all upset over.

"Move," Peyton says codly.

"What?"

"At least let me sleep next to my boyfriend," Peyton requests. Brooke sighs, but the girls switch places, and Nathan smiles as he pulls Peyton into his arms again. He kisses her forehead and she mumbles another curse, making him laugh.

"Sleep tight," Brooke says. Both Peyton and Nathan look over and give her the evil eye. She smiles innocently and pulls the blankets up to her chin, then closes her eyes.

"I hate her," Peyton repeats. Nathan chuckles and pulls her a little closer, and she's out again within moments. He's really not sure what she was so pissed about. Well, he does, but she falls asleep so easily that he thinks it's funny that she got all worked up.

The three of them sleep like that until Matt and Ginny knock and push the door open, then start laughing at the sight. Both Brooke and Nathan are all curled up against Peyton. She has her back to Brooke, who's got her arm draped over Peyton's midsection. Peyton's head is resting against Nathan's chest, and he's got his hand resting on her arm overtop the covers. He wakes up first upon hearing the laughter, and he smiles sleepily when he sees what's so funny.

"We'll be downstairs," Ginny says, shaking her head and walking down the hall with Matt following after her.

Nathan reaches over and brushes the hair from Peyton's face. Considering the rude awakening they had earlier, he figures he should be a little more gentle this time. She looks so cute, so little, laying there sleeping next to him. He thinks he could wake up like this every morning for the rest of his life. Well, like this minus Brooke.

"Sawyer," he says quietly. He brushes his lips against hers, just because he can and he knows that'll wake her, and she takes a sharp breath after he's pulled away. "'Morning."

"You're better at waking people up than Brooke," she mumbles.

"Hey," Brooke says sleepily, having woken up just in time to hear that comment.

"Ginny and Matt are up," Nathan explains. "Come on." He stands from the bed, but Peyton looks at him like he's crazy. "What?"

"Um...we're having girl talk," she says, like it should be obvious. "Send Ginny and Claire up. And Catherine if she's here."

"Are you serious? I'm not your errand boy."

"You're my boyfriend," Peyton says.

"Pretty much the same thing," Brooke concurs, nodding her head. Nathan mumbles something that the girls are sure isn't very nice.

"Hey Nate?" Peyton calls. He turns around just as he's gotten to the door to see her smiling sweetly, and he just knows that she's going to ask him for something else. "Some eggs and a cup of coffee would be really amazing. I mean, if it _happened_ to be ready when I come downstairs."

"You are so lucky you're hot," he tells her, making both girls laugh as he leaves the room.

He heads downstairs alone, and without him even having to say anything, the three girls currently sitting in the living room get up and head for the stairs, like they know they're needed since Brooke and Peyton are both still up there. Nathan walks straight for the fridge and grabs the carton of eggs, and Matt smiles.

"Right on. Breakfast."

"Not for you," Nathan says with a laugh. "Get your own."

"You're so whipped," Matt says.

"If Ginny asked you to..."

"Yeah, you're right," Matt interrupts. Nathan just laughs and shakes his head as he starts cracking eggs. "Where's Aaron?"

"Dude, I don't know," Nathan says. "I was asleep until 10 minutes ago."

Matt turns on the radio and he and Nathan talk about their plans for the day, which isn't much of anything as of yet, until the girls start filing down the stairs again. Only Nathan knows what they were talking about up there, but that's alright. Matt doesn't seem to really care. Peyton kisses Nathan sweetly when he serves up her eggs (plus some for himself) and starts pouring coffee. Ginny complains that Matt never cooks her anything, and he rolls his eyes and reaches for the frying pan. He ends up cooking for all the other girls too, and Nathan laughs from his place, thankful that he finished before everyone else came in and started pleading with him.

Robbie and Aaron walk through the door just as Matt has finished cooking and they look at him expectantly, but he shakes his head and tells them to fend for themselves. Turns out, Aaron got up early to help Robbie and Harold with some of the chores. Nathan and Matt exchange glances, as if to check and see if they should feel guilty, but they both just shrug their shoulders.

"Nathan was too busy laying in bed with your girlfriend," Matt says casually before taking a sip of orange juice.

"Excuse me?" Robbie asks, looking to Brooke with a raised brow.

"It was too cold without you, so I came over here and cuddled up with them," Brooke explains cutely. Robbie just laughs and kisses the top of her head.

"She woke us up at _6:30_," Peyton says, clearly unimpressed.

"Boo hoo, princess," Robbie says, making her scowl. "I just herded 80 head of cattle on horseback, led them into the barn, fed them, then fed 20 horses."

"That's...sexy," Brooke says seriously. She looks up at him and he winks at her. She's thinking she could really get used to him being a cowboy. He looks good in plaid and boots, and she's told him so.

They all finish breakfast and clean the kitchen, and the couples all decide to go on separate little horseback trips. Well, Robbie convinces Brooke that he'll look out for her, and she agrees, but only if they can share a horse and she can wrap her arms around him. That's a compromise he's willing to make. Peyton tells Nathan she'll teach him to ride, and he tells her he already knows. He explains that his family vacationed in South Carolina once and did that whole horseback on the beach thing, and while he'd complained about it the whole time (he was 13), it was actually kind of fun. Catherine and Aaron are going to ride together - Peyton shoots Catherine a look, but the girl just smiles and shakes her head. Ginny and Matt are just pulling their jackets on, getting ready to leave.

Peyton's just about to ask Claire if she wants to come with she and Nathan, and a very familiar song comes over the radio and everyone goes silent. Peyton looks at Nathan, and he just chuckles and shakes his head. He looks at Brooke, who smiles and bursts out laughing, which sends Peyton into a fit of giggles.

Ginny's the one who makes all hell break loose when she belts out, _"Dancing in your wooden shoooooes,"_ at the top of her lungs, and soon all the girls are singing; all but Claire, the trained singer in the group, are doing it horribly. The guys can only shake their heads and smile. It's certainly not tense anymore.

----

The night before they leave, they decide to drink a few bottles of wine around the fireplace and tell stories and laugh and just have fun. Not like they haven't been having fun this whole time, but this is a different kind. It's relaxing, and the girls reminisce over things from their childhood, and everyone asks Brooke and Nathan to share some of their own little anecdotes.

Robbie has just finished a not-so-funny story about the first game he ever played in junior leagues, where he had no points, no assists, and was slew-footed and ended up with a horrible ankle sprain that kept him out the rest of the season. Peyton gets up and refills her glass, then slips out the front door and takes a seat on the steps. Nathan, when he sees her walk outside, starts to wonder what's up with her, and grabs a quilt off one of the sofas.

"Hey," he says when he steps outside. He sits down, draping that quilt around the both of them, and pulls her into his side when she rests against him.

"Hi."

"You alright?"

"Yeah," she says quietly. "I'm fine."

"I'm not buying it," he tells her. She pulls away a bit and looks at him like he knows her too well. He kind of does. She likes it that way.

"I don't want to leave," she admits. "It's stupid, but I really love it here."

"I know you do," he says. "But do you think maybe you just don't want to have to go back and keep waiting to see what schools you got into?" She gives him that look again, and he smiles at her knowingly. "You have nothing to worry about, OK?"

"You don't know that."

"I know you're an amazing artist," he tells her. "And I know you're one of the smartest people I've ever met, and that you're probably stressing out over nothing."

"Maybe." She leans against him a little more. "Say more nice things," she says softly, making him let out a little laugh.

"Well, you're funny, _gorgeous_," he says, running his hand up and down her arm. "You're absolutely amazing to your friends. You're even better to me, which sometimes I still can't understand. You love the simplest things, even though you've got this crazy background. You haven't let your dad's money change you," he says, and she's shaking her head like she doesn't believe him. "And I happen to really, really like that you love me."

"I like that you love me too," she says. She laughs a little. That's a new way of saying it.

He tips her chin up with his index finger and kisses her, and she wraps both arms around him just as it starts to snow.

----

"Do we have everything?" Peyton asks, taking one last look around the bedroom that's been theirs for the last few days.

"I think so."

She lays back on the bed, her feet hanging over the edge of the mattress, and her sweater rides up, exposing the skin of her stomach. Nathan eyes her with his brow raised, and he loves that she doesn't even notice. She's got her eyes closed when he moves so he's hovering over her, and he kisses her before she can say anything.

"Mmm," she murmurs when his hand runs over the bare skin at her side. "Think we could stay behind?"

"Don't tempt me," he warns her. She smiles and runs her hand through his hair, and he kisses her again, just because he can't help himself.

"Come on," she says, squirming beneath him. That certainly doesn't help him want to move, that's for sure. "Nathan, we have to go."

"No."

Ginny appears in the doorway just in time to see Nathan kiss Peyton again, and she clears her throat loudly. "Come on, you two. We're all going to say goodbye to Harold."

"She ruins everything," Nathan pouts, looking at Peyton. She just laughs and shoves at his chest, making him roll onto his back.

Peyton leaves the room with Ginny, winking at Nathan, who just shakes his head and gathers up their things, doing one last scan to ensure they haven't left anything behind. As much as he loves it here, and as much as he knows Peyton loves it here, he's kind of happy to be heading home. This trip was great, and exactly what they all needed, but he gets the impression that they're all just fine to be on the way home. Claire misses talking to Duncan - there's no cell service on the ranch, which for most of them has actually been kind of nice. Aaron and Catherine, well, something happened there that no one knows about yet, and they've been a little awkward around each other for the last day and a half. Robbie and Brooke clearly want to be alone after the big _I love you_. Ginny and Matt are fine, as are Peyton and Nathan, but Nathan can't say he doesn't want a little one on one time with his girl, no interruptions and no one in the next room.

They've got a long drive ahead of them, and after they've said all their thank yous and goodbyes, Peyton hands Nathan the keys to her car so he can do the first leg of driving. As soon as they're in the car, Peyton closes her eyes and tips her head back.

"What?" Nathan asks.

"I love our friends," she says, turning to look at him. "But I am so happy to just be alone with you."

He just smiles and takes her hand, bringing it to his lips as he steers down the long lane towards the main road. "I've been thinking the same thing."

They drive for a bit with the radio off, just talking about their trip, trading stories about moments the other missed. Nathan holds Peyton's hand against his thigh as he drives, and Peyton toys with the radio, looking for a new station or scrolling through her iPod for the 'perfect' song for whichever part of the drive they're on. She falls asleep right around the time they'd talked about switching drivers, and Nathan can only shake his head. He's find to drive the rest of the way anyway, and she just looks so cute in his sweatshirt, sleeping next to him.

She doesn't wake up until they're only a couple hours from Oak Lake, and she apologizes profusely for falling asleep on him and insists that she take over driving. He tells her - playfully - to shut up, that he's fine and he can drive. They stop for a bite to eat at a little diner in a little town, and she tries to wrestle the keys from his hand, but he just laughs and tells her she should know better than to even try. He opens the passenger side door and shoves her gently into her seat, and she pouts until he gets in and leans over to kiss her. Even after all this time, she's still not used to being taken care of like this.

They get to Oak Lake late that night, and Peyton yawns as Nathan gathers their bags from the trunk of the car. She stops him before he can go to his car to drop his bag in there before walking her inside. She slips her hand into his and leads him to the door, and she hasn't said as much, but he assumes he's staying over. He won't complain.

It's quiet, he notes. Sandra has retired to her flat, a separate little structure that's semi-attached to the house, and Larry is nowhere in sight. Peyton walks straight upstairs to her bedroom and pulls his sweatshirt up over her head.

"I take it you want me to stay?" He smiles at her when she nods her head. She walks over to him and slips her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his before he even knows what's really going on. "Oh," he says. "You want me to _stay_."

"Dad's away," she reminds him. Clearly, he'd forgotten that fact.

He wastes no time sweeping her up off her feet and walking over to the bed with her giggling a little bit - something she never did before he came along. He lays her down with him on top of her, and suddenly neither of them are very tired anymore.

----

It's close to two weeks later when they get into a stupid argument over a stupid thing that is just...well, stupid.

She's in the gym on Friday afternoon, sketching the banners hanging from the ceiling and smiling to herself over memories that are still so fresh of that state championship game. Nathan is supposed to meet her here so they can go to dinner with Lucas, who is on his way to town for a visit, staying for the weekend. Nathan is 10 minutes late, and she isn't worried.

Once he's 20 minutes late, she's not worried, she's just pissed off. He's never been late without reason before, and while she's sure he has a reason, she wouldn't bet that it's a very good one. He had a free period before classes let out for the day, and she's kind of annoyed that he wasn't actually waiting for her. She hates that she's acting like this, but she's already in a bad mood.

It's her birthday the next day, and while she likes Lucas well enough, she isn't crazy about him being around for the occasion. It's silly, really. Or maybe not. She can't decide.

She's also still waiting for acceptance letters. That's definitely keeping her on edge.

So when Nathan walks into the gym casually after keeping her waiting for a half an hour, she can't find it in her to just let him off the hook like maybe she should.

"Sorry," he says. "Aaron and I were in the weight room and I lost track of time."

"Mhmm."

"What are you drawing?"

"Nothing," she says, closing her sketchbook as soon as he gets a glimpse of her page. It's not nothing. She just said that to hurt him; she knows how much that banner means to him.

"What's wrong?" he asks knowingly. He turns to her a little bit, and his knee brushes against hers, but she moves away from him.

"Have I ever 'lost track of time' on you?" she inquires, using air quotes to make her point.

"Peyton, I..."

"Whatever," she says, standing and grabbing her bag. The way she's standing next to him and he's looking up at her, he can see directly up her skirt, but he gets the impression that this is probably the worst time to make a comment.

"Where are you going?" he asks as she starts walking away from him.

"Home."

"Why?" He starts following her towards the gym doors, and she turns around and glares at him. "Peyton, what's with you?"

"Nathan, I'd just appreciate it if you showed up on time, like, ever," she says. She's exaggerating, but he knows better than to mention it. "So have a good time with Lucas."

"Babe..."

"Nathan!" she cries, rolling her eyes. "Just...I'll talk to you whenever."

He doesn't like the way that sounds. While he knows he should just let her walk away and have her tantrum somewhere else, his pride won't let him.

"Yeah," he says, crossing his arms. "Whenever you're not being such a bitch."

She actually smiles, but it's not out of amusement. It's kind of like she can't believe he's just said that and she doesn't know what else to do, so she just smiles and lets out a laugh, and turns her back to him. She walks to the door, letting it slam harshly behind her.

He's left wondering if he should go after her, or go straight home where he knows Lucas is going to be showing up in about 20 minutes.

He goes straight home. The entire time, he thinks he's making a mistake.

----

As soon as she walks through the door, she throws her bag down on the ground harshly and takes off her cardigan and balls it up, throwing it onto the stairs. She catches sight of that ring on her finger, and she seriously considers taking it off.

She just doesn't want to.

That's the moment she realizes she's made a big deal out of nothing.

She's thinking of calling him when she notices she's being watched. Her dad stands there, arms crossed and leaning against the frame of the door to the den, smirking in amusement.

"Someone's upset," he says.

"I'm fine."

"No you're not," he insists. He walks over and throws his arm around her shoulder, kissing the top of her head as they walk into the den. "What'd he do?"

"How'd you know?" she asks.

"You're the spitting image of your mom when you lose your temper," he says. "When you were little, she threw one of your bottles at me once because...well, I'm still not sure why." Peyton laughs and shakes her head. "What happened?"

"It's stupid. I don't want to talk about it," she insists.

"Good. Because you have mail."

"What?" she asks.

He reaches over and pulls three envelopes from the table next to them and hands them to her. Her eyes light up and he smiles. He knows how anxious she's been since Christmas to get these letters.

"Go on," he says, nudging her a little bit.

The first envelope is emblazoned with Yale's logo and crest, and she takes a deep breath before tearing it open. She doesn't necessarily want to go that far away, but it's Yale, so if she gets in, she'll be thrilled to have accomplished it.

"Dear Miss. Sawyer," she reads. "Thank you for your application to Yale University. We are pleased to offer you a place in Yale's class of 2014." She doesn't bother reading any further. She turns to her father with a huge smile on her face. "Dad! I just got into Yale!"

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie," he says. "Go on. Open the next one."

It's no secret that he wants her to stay close. Duke close, in fact. He wants her to attend his alma mater. He knows she wants that too.

The next envelope is from Harvard, and it's a little thinner than the one from Yale.

"Dear Miss Sawyer. We regret to inform you that..." She stops reading and tosses the letter aside, but she doesn't seem too fazed.

"Who wants to go to Harvard anyway?" Larry asks, smirking at her. She laughs and shrugs her shoulders.

The next envelope has Wake Forest's logo on it, and she rips at the paper and begins reading the letter. "Miss Sawyer. The office of admissions at Wake Forest is pleased to offer you a place...!"

"Congratulations," Larry says. He drapes his arm around her and kisses her hair again.

"Nothing from Duke? UNC?" she asks hopefully.

He smiles and pulls out one last envelope. He'd hidden it for a reason. He knew that if she'd seen it among the others, she wouldn't care about the rest. She would have opened it first, she would have completely disregarded the other schools, and he didn't want to cloud her judgment.

Or, he was just saving the best for last.

"Dad! That's so mean!" She hits him with the envelope, it's thick, she notes, and he chuckles.

"Just open it," he says.

She takes a breath to steady herself, and she notices that her hands are shaking. She rips open the envelope and takes out the letter, and she squeals when she sees the first words.

"Miss Sawyer. Your application to Duke University was outstanding, and therefor, we are pleased to offer you admission to our class of 2014!" She jumps up out of her seat excitedly. "Daddy!"

"I _knew_ you'd get in," he claims. He stands up and pulls her into a fatherly hug. "I'm _so_ _proud_ of you."

"I have to call Nathan!"

"Honey," Larry says, holding her at arm's length and looking at her pointedly. "Are you sure you don't want to go see him?"

She smiles and throws her arms around him again, and then grabs her keys and her wallet and takes off towards Nathan's place.

----

"Dude, what's with you?" Lucas asks. "I gotta say, I'm OK with this being a low key weekend, but if you're pouting the whole time..."

"I'm not pouting," Nathan scoffs.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," Nathan says.

Lucas laughs and shakes his head. "What'd you do to piss her off?" he asks knowingly. Nathan sighs and rolls his eyes, tipping his head back.

"I was working out, and I was a half hour late to meet her after school," Nathan explains.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Lucas says, shrugging his shoulder.

"I know." Nathan runs his hand over the back of his neck and sighs. "And then I may have said she was being a bitch."

"You're an idiot," Lucas says, shaking his head. "She's like, the nicest girl in the world."

"I know."

"And you called her a bitch?"

"Sort of," Nathan admits. "I'm such a dick."

"Call her," Lucas says, as though it's just that easy.

Nathan is just about to respond when the door swings open and Peyton rushes in, still in her school uniform, and flings her arms around his neck. Lucas watches on in amusement as Nathan tentatively holds her in his arms, wondering what's wrong.

"Peyton..."

"I got into Duke!"

"What!?" he cries, pushing her away from him a bit.

"I got in!" she says excitedly.

He pulls her into his arms again and holds her as tightly as he can, and they both seem to forget that Lucas is there. Nathan places his hands on Peyton's cheeks and kisses her, and her throat gets a little tight, and she feels like their dreams are coming true, as cliché as it is.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly.

"Shut up," she demands. "_I'm _sorry." She catches sight of Lucas out of the corner of her eye, and she smiles sheepishly. "Hey, Lucas."

"Hi, Peyton," he says with a laugh. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," she says. It's kind of hard to find words when Nathan's hands are gripping her waist like that. "I should change."

She walks down the hall with her skirt swaying, and he's pretty sure that his brother is visiting on entirely the wrong weekend. It's Peyton's birthday, and she's just gotten into Duke so they're for sure going to be together for...however long. They've just resolved their argument, and she looks so fucking sexy right now. Nathan follows her - Lucas doesn't say a word - and they kiss for a few minutes and talk quietly to one another about their plans and how excited they are for one another.

When she emerges in a black sweater and a pair of jeans, Lucas laughs and asks how many changes of clothes she keeps at Nathan's place. She shrugs her shoulders and says that she has a school uniform, a couple pairs of pajamas, some jeans and a few shirts. Lucas says that it sounds like they're living together. He walks ahead of them a little bit to get into Nathan's car, and Peyton says that in a matter of months, they _will_ be living together.

Just like they promised.

**----**

**A/N:** I also just posted a long-ish NP oneshot called _You Were The First to Steal My Heart_. I'd love if you read it!


	28. Chapter 28

Peyton wakes up on her birthday the same way she's woken up almost every birthday since she can remember. Well, plus one person.

Ginny, Catherine, Claire, and now Brooke, climb up onto her bed and sing her happy birthday, loudly and badly. They've brought coffee and croissants, along with Peyton's favourite chocolate and some cupcakes.

"Aww," Peyton says, stretching in her bed ad she smiles. "I love you guys."

"We love you too," Catherine says, handing over a coffee cup. "Happy birthday."

"And you know, even though you blew us off last night to hang out with the brothers Scott, we'll forgive you," Ginny adds.

"How was that anyway?" Brooke asks, tracing her finger over Peyton's duvet.

"He's fine. He's healthy. He knows you've got a boyfriend. He's still single," Peyton lists off, knowing exactly what Brooke wants to know about Lucas. "And I kind of have news."

"You're engaged," Ginny says. Peyton's eyes go wide.

"Pregnant," Claire guesses. Peyton nearly chokes on her croissant.

"With Nathan, she could already be married," Catherine says teasingly making them laugh. Peyton almost smiles. That's kind of funny.

"Married _and_ pregnant, with those genes," Brooke says. The girls laugh even harder, and Peyton glares at them all. "Oh, come on. We're joking. What?"

"I'm not telling you now," Peyton says defiantly, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Tell us!" Brooke whines.

"Nope."

"Peyton!" Ginny cries. "_Please_."

The door opens again and Larry just laughs at the scene before him. Five girls all on Peyton's bed in their Oak Lake sweats, smiling and laughing at whatever's going on.

"Well, well," Larry says. All the girls look at him and wave and smile. "I just thought I'd come in and wish my little girl a happy birthday."

"I'm 18," Peyton says with a laugh. "I'm not little." She gets up off her bed and walks over to her dad to give him a hug. "Thanks, dad."

"I got you something," he says.

"I should hope so," Ginny says. The other girls laugh, and Larry playfully glowers at her. He's known these girls for ages; he knows they'll tease him and he'll tease them right back.

He pulls an envelope out of his back pocket and hands it to Peyton. "Here."

She looks at him questioningly before ripping into the envelope. He's always gotten her good gifts. The year before, he got her a car, and for her 16th, he got her a diamond necklace, earrings and bracelet. Never has he given her just a card.

But when she pulls out what's inside, her jaw drops. "Dad!" She throws her arms around him and he can only laugh. This is exactly the reaction he was expecting.

"What is it?" Catherine asks.

"10 days, all-inclusive in Maui!" Peyton says excitedly.

"Take me with you!" Ginny pleads.

"No!" Peyton says, her tone unchanged. The rest of the girls laugh at her enthusiasm. "Daddy, thank you!"

"You're welcome, sweetie," he says, kissing her forehead. "I figured you could use a nice vacation before you start..." He stops talking when she widens her eyes and shakes her head subtly. "Start college." He winks at her before heading for the door. "Goodbye, girls. Don't eat too much chocolate."

"Too...much...chocolate?" Brooke asks, because that just sounds absurd. Peyton climbs back up onto her bed and reaches for her croissant, but she can't stop smiling. "Aren't you going to call Nathan and tell him he's going to Maui with you?"

"He's taking me to dinner," Peyton explains. "And he and Lucas are working out with the guys this morning."

"Oh! What did you want to tell us?" Claire asks.

"Right," Peyton says, smiling to herself. "I um...I got some acceptance letters yesterday."

"What!?" Catherine cries. Peyton is the last to hear from her schools, and they've all been waiting with her. "To where!?"

"Yale," Peyton starts, and all the girls squeal. "Wake Forest."

"Matt would be happy," Ginny says rationally.

"Yeah. Wake Forest is a great school," Peyton says, making it sound like that's where she'll go. But then her smile gets a little wider and the other girls look at her and they all know that she's got more to say.

"What?" Brooke asks.

"And...Duke."

"Shut up!"

Peyton doesn't even know who says it. They all start squealing and hugging her, happy that she's gotten into her dream school. It's not lost on her how lucky she is. She knows she's got kind of an amazing life, and her background has very little to do with it. She's got amazing friends, a great dad, a boyfriend who's so perfect in her eyes that it shouldn't even be allowed. And now she's going to the school she's been talking about going to since she was old enough to know where her daddy went. And she's going there with that boyfriend. It's almost too good to be true.

The girls all leave before lunch, and Peyton spends her afternoon with her dad, talking and laughing and eating take out from the Chinese place they've always eaten from on her birthday. A few family members call her, and some of her father's 'associates' and friends. It's kind of nice to get all that attention.

When she heads upstairs to get ready to go out with Nathan, she can't stop smiling. She has no idea what he's gotten her, and it really doesn't matter. She doesn't need anything from him at all. She told him that, and of course, he looked at her like she was insane. He'd said there was no way he wasn't going to get her a birthday gift. What kind of boyfriend would that make him?

----

Nathan pulls on his black jacket over his dark grey shirt - no tie - as Lucas sits on the sofa watching a basketball game. The guys spent the night before sipping beer after Peyton left them, and letting old action movies play while they talked. It's weird, Nathan thinks, that he spent so much time mad at Lucas, when every time they're close he asks himself how they ever weren't in each others' lives. He made a silent promise to himself not to let that happen again.

"Where are you taking her?" Lucas asks, eyeing Nathan's attire.

"Someplace special," Nathan says cryptically. "Her dad has this little jazz club. I got them to reserve us a table."

"Isn't that illegal? You know, since you're underage and all."

"It's fine. We won't be drinking," Nathan says. All he can think is what Peyton told him before they even started dating, that her parents used to go to that club on their 'date night'. "She'll love it."

"What'd you get her?" Lucas asks. No matter how many times he's asked, Nathan hasn't given it up.

"I'm still not telling you!"

"It's not like I'm going to say something to her!" Lucas insists.

"Doesn't matter. No one needs to know but her," Nathan says. He surprises himself sometimes with how romantic he can be. "But it's awesome."

"Well, I'd hope you'd think that," Lucas says with a laugh. "It's crazy, you know? How serious you are about her."

"I guess," Nathan says, shrugging his shoulder as he slips on his watch - a Rolex Dan got him when he turned 16.

"You're...dude, you're more serious about her than you were about Haley. And that's saying a lot," Lucas says. It's not a judgment, it's just an observation. Nathan kind of loves that he's not the only one who can see that.

"I guess that's what happens when you meet the right girl," Nathan insists.

Lucas raises an eyebrow and watches Nathan lazily run his hand through his hair. "Wait. You didn't get her an engagement ring or something, did you?"

Nathan narrows his eyes as he grabs his wallet and keys. "You're a jerk, you know that?" Lucas just laughs. "Are you cool here? Take out menus are on the fridge, and there's a set of keys here if you go out."

"Yes, dad."

"Why did I invite you here?" Nathan asks, though he doesn't expect an answer. "I'll see you later."

"Later. Have fun," Lucas calls out as Nathan walks out the door.

The entire drive to Peyton's place, all Nathan can think is how much he hates that they aren't living together _right now_. He knows they have to wait a bit, and that Larry travels so much that they get to spend a lot more time alone with one another than most kids, but it doesn't feel like enough. He wants her to be next to him every night, and he wants to wake up next to her every morning, and he wants...

He's making it sound like he wants to be married to her right now and he doesn't. He really doesn't. He wants that eventually. Just not now. They've had some heavy conversations and he knows she feels like maybe eventually she wants to marry him. And she's already wearing his ring. There's not much more he can ask. And besides, with Peyton, he wants to do it right. He doesn't want a 10 minute, rushed ceremony with only one side of the family there. He wants a proper wedding, with the dress and the flowers and the rings and all that.

And he's almost 100% certain that he shouldn't be 100% certain that he wants all that with _this_ girl. He can just feel it. There's no one else, and there's never going to be anyone else, and if it takes 2 years or 20, he'll marry this girl.

So when he pulls into her driveway and heads for the door, his mind is full. But when he sees her, he thinks only of her in that moment, hoping to remember it as long as humanly possible.

She's wearing a deep green satin dress with tiny little straps, and silver shoes, and her hair is perfect, and God, he loves her.

"You look...so, so beautiful," he tells her as they stand beneath the light of her porch. He rests his hands on her hips and looks her up and down.

"Thank you. I'm also freeing my ass off, so can we get going?"

He laughs and she smiles. He loves that about her - she doesn't fish for compliments. She probably has no idea how good she looks, and she probably doesn't really care. It probably didn't take her any time at all to look the way she does, and she probably wouldn't have cared if he'd shown up in sweat pants with a pizza and told her that he wanted to watch the game. With Peyton, it's never about appearances, and even when it is, she really doesn't care. She knows what - and who - is important, and none of the rest of it matters to her at all.

"That's my girl." He kisses her quickly, then pulls the door shut behind them before they walk towards the car.

She's definitely surprised when they show up at her dad's club and Dom has a special table set in the middle of the room for them. There's a card that says the spot is reserved, and there is an arrangement of fresh white calla lilies on the table. Peyton grips Nathan's hand and looks over at him; calla lilies were always her mom's favourite. Nathan pulls her chair out for her, and she can't stop smiling as he takes his place. Dom serves up some sparkling cider, then says he'll be back with their food.

They spend their evening eating great food and listening to jazz, and Peyton tells Nathan that she can't believe how thoughtful he is. He laughs when she rambles on about not meaning it 'like that', and all this is even before he gives her her gift. She doesn't even notice that he hasn't given her anything else. She tells him that they're going to Hawaii, and he smiles and tries to act surprised, but he can't lie when she asks if he already knew. As it turns out, he and Larry spoke just after Christmas, and Nathan has known all along. When they leave the club, he just takes her hand as they start driving, and she has no idea where they're going. Truthfully, neither does Nathan.

"Open the glove box," he tells her. She looks at him like he's crazy, but he rolls his eyes and reaches over and pulls it open.

He hadn't really expected them to be driving around back roads of this little town when he handed her the wrapped box - one that's so obviously jewelry - but it feels right. They've spent a lot of time driving together, and neither of them wants to go home yet.

She pulls back the paper and sees another one of those black velvet boxes, and she sends him an admonishing glance.

"Just open it," he says. He laughs, because every time he gives her a gift, it looks like she's afraid to open it. "Babe, it's your birthday."

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"Are you kidding me?" he asks incredulously. They've talked about this. "You're insane."

"Nathan."

"Open the damn box, Sawyer."

She does as she's told, and she doesn't even notice that he's pulled into an empty parking lot. She looks at the beautiful strand of pearls in the box in her hand. She runs her fingers over the necklace, and Nathan turns to her and takes the box from her hands.

"It was my mom's," he explains, taking the necklace out of the box and opening the clasp. "Her parents gave it to her when she turned 18." Peyton turns in her seat so he can place the necklace around her neck and fasten it. "She never had a daughter, so..."

"So she wants me to have it?" Peyton asks, in awe of both Deb's generosity and the gorgeous pearls laying against her skin.

"We both do," he says, shrugging his shoulder. "They look nice."

"Nice?" she asks, grinning at him.

"Beautiful."

"Nathan, this is too much," she tells him. "I can't..."

"Stop it," he insists. "It's yours. Mom gave them to me to give..." He stops himself before he says 'my wife', but it's true. After he got married, after Haley left town, she gave him that necklace to give to Haley. He knows now why he never did. They aren't meant for her. "To give to someone who deserves them."

"I love them," she says quietly. "Thank you. And I'll thank your mom."

"Let's stop talking about my mom."

"How come?" she asks, laughing softly. "It's not like we can do anything..."

"Stop it," he says. He puts the car in drive again, but he still doesn't know where he's going. "I don't need a reminder."

"He's your brother," she mumbles.

"And your dad is home."

"That's not my fault!" she cries, though she's still smiling.

"It's not my fault my brother..."

"You invited him! On my birthday weekend," she says. "You have to make it up to me." He takes a breath and glances over at her. "In the form of breakfast tomorrow morning, and..."

"Sex?" he suggests.

"_No_," she says, narrowing her eyes at him. "You and Lucas should...Oh!"

"What?" he asks, laughing at her excitement.

"We should get everyone together and go to the gym! You guys can play, and..."

"And you girls can sit on the bleachers with coffee and make fun of us?" he says.

"Exactly," she says, making him chuckle again. "But will that be weird for Lucas and Brooke?"

"Well, it won't be for Brooke," he says. There's a smirk on his face that she doesn't really understand.

"What does that mean?" He just shakes his head and shrugs his shoulder, but that does nothing to convince her. "Nathan Scott, what do you know that I don't!"

"Nothing."

"Liar!" she cries. "You can't lie to your girlfriend. Especially not now. It's my _birthday_, Nathan. Don't lie to me on my birthday. Of all days..."

"OK, OK," he laughs. "Calm down." He takes her hand in his as he shakes his head. He has a feeling that he's going to lose a lot of arguments this way. "Robbie and I went shopping on Tuesday after school."

"I know. You bought that shirt I hate."

"The shirt you hate that I _returned_," he mumbles. Yeah, he'd lost that argument in exactly the same way. "He also stopped by the jewelry store."

"What!? Nathan!" she shouts. Her voice is loud enough that Nathan winces a little bit. He doesn't know what she'd say if he told her that Matt bought a ring for Ginny, too. "Oh my God, this is amazing."

"It's kind of cool."

"You know, I've had all these same friends forever, and this is the first time we've all been happy at the same time," she says. "I mean, it's not like we've been miserable, but it's never been like this."

"I guess you just needed me and Brooke to round out the group," he says jokingly.

"We did," she says. "Well, I need you."

He looks over at her and shakes his head. "No you don't."

"What?"

"You don't need me."

"How can you...Nathan, how can you say that?" she asks, turning towards him a little more. He just shakes his head like he thinks it's insane that she doesn't get it. "Pull the car over."

"Baby, I'm not pulling over."

"Pull over!" she cries, shoving his arm playfully.

He does as he's told, but he really has no clue why she's making him to it. She gets out of the car and walks around to the front, so she's standing in the headlights' path, and Nathan stands in front of her. It's a dark and quiet road, and there are goosebumps on Peyton's arms, but she doesn't seem to care, and he's getting the impression that she won't be moving until he explains.

"What did you mean by that?" she asks again. He takes a step toward her and rests his hands on her upper arms, hoping to warm her skin.

"Peyton, you are the strongest, most independent girl I've ever met. You don't _need_ anyone," he insists. "You were doing just fine without me."

"I wasn't really," she says, and it's not completely a lie. She's told him how much she was worried about her school year being hard. "Everything's just better when you're around."

"Yeah?" he asks needlessly. She nods her head and he kisses her quickly. "Well I don't plan on going anywhere, OK?"

"Like...ever?" She broaches the subject carefully, because for all the subtle promises they've made, they haven't ever really flat out said that they want this thing to be forever.

"Ever," he confirms, his eyes staring into hers.

"Nathan, if you don't mean that," she says, her voice trailing before she can finish the threat; the one she didn't know she could actually speak.

"I _do_ mean it," he promises. "Peyton, this...This me and you...this is how I need it to be."

They both smirk, because they both know she could say that he doesn't need her, and go off on the same tangent that he did, but she won't do it. This is too serious a conversation for her to be making jokes.

"You see a future with me?" she asks.

He hesitates a second before answering, but he can't hold back now. "Yeah, I do."

"Well, like what?" she asks.

She walks around the car so she's leaning against the passenger's side door, because during this conversation, she realized that they're somehow in the one part of Oak Lake where you can see the entire town. All those twinkling lights and the big, black body of water at the edge of town. He drapes his arm around her shoulder as they look out over their little town.

"I'll play in the NBA, and you'll be a famous artist. We'll have a great house, too," he says.

"What about kids?" she asks, because she doesn't think he'll be scared by the question, when he's the one who started this conversation in the first place. She's getting the feeling that he's probably thought about all this before.

"Oh, yeah. We'll have a bunch of those," he says with a smirk. It's like he really can't wait to have a proper family.

"A bunch?" she asks incredulously.

"A couple. Two. Maybe three. Whatever you want, babe," he promises. He pulls her closer and presses a kiss to her hair.

"Two," she whispers. "And you'll teach them how to shoot perfect free throws."

"They'll be spoiled."

"With the grandparents they'll have? Definitely," she says. They both laugh, because they know it's entirely true. "And they'll be gorgeous."

"How could they not be?" Nathan asks, making her laugh a little harder. "I'm serious. We're like, the best looking couple in town."

"Nathan..."

"It's true. Ask anyone," he insists. She shakes her head, but leans up to kiss him. "We're gonna have that, Peyton." She looks at him and nods, and he brushes the hair from her face. "We're gonna do it right."

She knows what he means. They're going to have a proper relationship, and they won't rush into anything. They'll plan their pregnancies after they're married. Nathan'll get drafted, and Peyton will have a studio in their house. They'll have it all. They'll give each other everything. They kind of already are.


	29. Chapter 29

Peyton is sitting on her bed one Saturday, reading _Pride and Prejudice_ for her AP English Lit class. She has no idea why she's taking the class, since she doesn't really need it, but she finds she's liking this book. And as much as she absolutely loves spending time with Nathan, obviously, she really likes that they can spend time apart too. She hasn't seen him since school the day before, and it's alright this way. He's working out with the guys today, and last night she had to attend a dinner with her dad. She thinks it's pretty healthy that they aren't so dependent on one another that they can't be away from each other.

That said, if he comes over, she won't be turning him away.

Somewhere in the middle of the afternoon, someone does show up at her bedroom door, but it's not Nathan.

"Hey Cath," she says with a smile. Catherine walks in and sits down on the bed and Peyton can tell there's something going on. "What's wrong?"

"I just...need someone to talk to," Catherine admits.

Peyton is immediately worried. Catherine is the strong, silent type. She only ever really comes to her friends for help when there's something big that's bugging her.

"OK," Peyton says encouragingly. She closes her book and sets it aside, devoting all her attention to her friend. "You can tell me anything. You know that."

"I'm...Peyton, I'm really confused." Peyton doesn't say anything, she just waits for more information. "My dad's getting remarried."

"Oh," Peyton says in surprise. She didn't see that coming. Catherine's dad wasn't exactly faithful to her mom when they were together, and only Peyton knows, but when he moved to Virginia, it was to be with a woman he'd met.

"She's pregnant. That's why," Catherine explains.

"Whoa." It's a stupid thing to say, but Peyton has no idea how she's supposed to react to that news. _Whoa_ seemed like a fitting response.

"Yeah."

"Well that's...I don't know what to say," Peyton admits. "I'm sorry."

"What am I supposed to do?" Catherine asks with tears in her eyes. "I want him to be happy, but...this is the woman he left my mom for, and...I'm going to have a sibling."

Peyton takes her friend's hand in a show of support, and Catherine shakes her head. She hates being vulnerable like this and Peyton knows it. As much as it's the wrong time to think it, Peyton is actually happy that she's the one Catherine has come to with this.

"It'll be OK. Your mom...she's tough. And she's got you to help her if she needs it," Peyton says.

"And who helps me?" Catherine asks quickly. "I can't talk to her, and I can't talk to my dad."

"You can talk to _me_," Peyton says, like it's just obvious. "Or any of the other girls. You can say anything to me, Cath." Catherine shakes her head, but Peyton won't let her get away with feeling like she's alone. "This isn't...You never have to go through anything by yourself."

"But you guys are all so...You've got your own things to deal with, and I..."

"We are _friends_," Peyton says, almost too harshly. "I don't care about school or work or college or...anything as much as I care about you guys."

Catherine takes a breath and looks down to her lap. "What about Nathan?" she asks quietly.

"Is that what this is about?" Peyton asks.

Suddenly it makes a lot of sense. Catherine's reaction to Nathan's marriage, and the rest of it. It's not just that she takes that kind of thing seriously, it's that her father didn't, and it tore her family apart. She wants to believe that people who get together, stay together, but she hasn't really seen any good examples of that.

"You guys all have someone now," Catherine points out, shrugging her shoulder. "I'm kind of left out."

"Catherine, you're...Oh my God, you are _not_," Peyton insists. She sits up a little more as the conversation grows in intensity. "I'm so, so sorry if we've made it seem that way. I didn't...I had no idea you felt like that."

"Maybe I don't. I don't know," Catherine says, sighing. "I'm just all over the place."

"You wouldn't have said that if you didn't feel it sometimes," Peyton points out, smiling with Catherine rolls her eyes. "And...maybe we all have someone now, but...Aaron doesn't have someone."

"Peyton..." Catherine is shaking her head, but Peyton knows that there's something more to the story, and she has been desperate to find out what it is, and Catherine hasn't given anything up.

"I know something happened between you two when we were away."

"Maybe a little something," Catherine finally admits. Peyton smiles and Catherine rolls her eyes again. "He said I was beautiful."

"You are," Peyton says, and Catherine grins a little.

"He said that...That he always thought there was something about me."

"That's sweet," Peyton insists.

"It was. It _is_. But...I don't know why I can't just trust...anything," Catherine says.

"Well, what'd you say to him?" Peyton asks gently. It's not that she just wants gossip anymore. She honestly thinks that Catherine and Aaron are perfect for each other, and she wants to help them get it together.

"I said thank you," Catherine says, biting her lip, knowing that her response to Aaron's sweet words was definitely not what he wanted to hear.

"Cath!" Peyton laughs, making Catherine do the same. Catherine moves to lay back against the pillows next to Peyton, and she covers her face with her hands.

"And it's so stupid, because...I think...I dunno. Maybe..."

Peyton knows what Catherine's trying to say. Maybe she likes Aaron.

"Yeah," Peyton says softly. "Maybe."

"So what do I do? I mean...He probably doesn't even...anymore, and now I'm just...I'm regretting it, and..." Catherine says, groaning in frustration at herself for not being able to explain herself eloquently.

"Well...I mean, if you wanted, I could get someone to talk to him," Peyton says.

"You mean Nathan," Catherine states, and Peyton shrugs her shoulders. "Would he be like...all..._Nathan_ about it?"

"What the hell does that mean?" Peyton laughs.

"He doesn't really sugar coat things, Peyton," Catherine points out needlessly. "I just don't want him to be like, 'Dude, Catherine is into you'." She drops her tone an octave, mimicking Nathan's voice, making them both laugh.

"If you don't want Nathan to talk to him...I mean, _you_ could talk to him."

"No!" Catherine almost yells. "No. I...I know it's totally sixth-grade, but I can't." She shakes her head and Peyton smiles knowingly. "Not after saying thank you like an idiot."

"You weren't an idiot. He said something nice, and you thanked him," Peyton reassures her.

"What was Nathan like in the beginning, before you guys started really dating?"

"You know that. I told you guys almost everything."

"Not everything," Catherine says pointedly.

"He was...not like Aaron," Peyton says with a laugh. "It was all...innuendo and charm. I swear he just wanted to make me blush."

"Did he?"

"All the time," Peyton admits. "He still does."

"You really love him," Catherine states. She's known it pretty much since the beginning - she isn't blind - but every time she and Peyton speak one on one, she's reminded of it.

"It's not a secret," Peyton says with a laugh.

Catherine just nods her head. "I'm really happy for you. You know that, right? I know...I was kind of a brat about the whole thing, but...I was just scared for you."

"I know," Peyton says. "And I kind of loved you for that. I mean, when I wasn't being all bitchy and defensive." They both stop to laugh, and Peyton lays back, linking her arm through her friend's. "But you're always the one who looks at all sides and makes sure everyone thinks about what they're doing."

"I guess."

"Sometimes you have to stop thinking and just...do," Peyton says, looking over to meet Catherine's eyes. Peyton knows that Catherine understands what she's saying.

They lay like that for a bit, listening to the music Peyton's got playing, and when Peyton's phone rings and it's Nathan's ringtone, she ignores it. He'll understand, and Catherine is more important right now. She loves that she won't have to explain it all to him. She'll just say she was with her friend, and he'll say 'cool', and that'll be it. He won't be offended, and she won't be apologetic.

After about 10 minutes, Catherine looks over and takes a breath.

"Maybe you could ask Nathan to talk to Aaron," she says timidly.

Peyton smiles. "If that's what you want."

"Yeah. It's what I want," Catherine admits, and she's not just talking about the conversation.

She's talking about the boy.

----

After Catherine leaves, Peyton can't concentrate on her reading any longer. All she can think about is getting Nathan to talk to Aaron. OK, so all she can think about is that, and how obvious it is that she loves Nathan the way she does. She's not ashamed of it all, and she shouldn't be. She knows that.

She still hasn't called him back, and she doesn't intend to. After making dinner with her dad, she changes out of her sweats and into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. She kisses her dad's cheek when she says she's going to Nathan's house, and she seems so happy and excited that Larry has to laugh. She slips out the door and he's still shaking his head.

She drives to Nathan's place listening to an incredibly popular and cheesy teen country star, but she finds herself actually liking the music. Something about listening to this girl her age singing about fairy tales and princes and princesses makes her smile. She has no idea when she became this girl, but she kind of likes it. It's nice to not be so moody. It's nice to roll down the windows and crank up Taylor Swift and not care in the slightest how that makes her look to anyone else.

She walks up to Nathan's apartment and steps through the door without knocking, and he smiles at her from his place on the couch. He's watching a college ball game, though she's not surprised, and he's wearing a dark green polo shirt that she decides immediately is pretty much perfect on him.

"Hi," she says.

"Hey." Something exciting happens on screen and he clips his greeting short.

She sits on the sofa next to him, and he kisses her (far too quickly) before turning his attention back to the game. It's almost March Madness. She should know these games are important.

She knows. She doesn't care.

She tucks one leg beneath her, then drapes the other over his thigh so her knee is wedged between his legs. He looks at her like she's asking for trouble, and the devious smile on her face has his heart racing.

"This game..." he says.

"You don't even like these teams," she reminds him.

"Yeah, but whoever wins this game is a step closer to playoffs, and the loser is..." His voice stops working when she places her hand on his thigh and kisses his neck, pressing her body against his side.

"What was that?" she asks, trying not to laugh. He can feel her smirking against his skin.

"The loser is out."

"Interesting," she says. It's not really a lie. She cares about basketball, but she didn't come over so she could watch it with him. She came over for a reason. She needs to distract him from the television somehow.

"Stop it," he says when her hand grazes the skin just above the top of his jeans. She doesn't stop. "Peyton." She moves a little closer, and she's almost sitting on top of him. "There's only 10 minutes left..."

"So?"

"So...can you...wait?" he asks. He can't even believe he's saying that. What kind of moron tells his gorgeous girlfriend to stop kissing him so he can watch a game? She obviously knows what she wants, and he should be more than willing to give it to her.

She takes his face in her hands and kisses him as soon as the game breaks for commercial, and he finally touches her. His hand clumsily comes to rest upon her hip, his fingers grazing the back pocket of her jeans, and basketball is the last thing on his mind.

"Nate," she says softly, kissing his jaw until her lips are right against his ear.

"Hmm."

"Can you do me a favour?"

"Yeah," he answers, because he'll do anything for her, especially if she keeps acting like this.

"Will you talk to Aaron about Catherine?" she requests. He starts laughing, and he pushes her away just slightly. "What?"

"You just...did all that to get me to talk to him?"

She smiles at him and he shakes his head. "That's part of the reason," she says. Her eyes are dark and she's biting her lip a little bit as she toys with the bottom of his shirt.

"Oh yeah? What's the other reason?" he asks, pulling her into his lap so she's straddling him.

"I'm not making that obvious?" she asks, raising her brow.

"I wanna hear you say it," he says, his voice low as he grips her hips.

"I missed you." She says it softly, and she runs her hands through his hair before resting them on his cheeks. She kisses him again, and she just knows that he's going to tell her that she hasn't said what she wants. "I want you."

He takes a deep breath. Six simple words and he's finding it hard to get air. "You kill me."

"Not on purpose," she says, and she's so cute that he kisses her, not that he needs a reason.

"I suppose I should be happy about that," he says with a laugh. She tries to kiss him, but he pulls his head back just a little bit, just to tease her.

"Nathan."

"Hmm?"

"Stop talking," she says.

"OK." He's smirking, and he won't let her kiss him.

"_Nathan_," she whines.

He stands up, holding her against him as she locks her legs around his waist. He kisses her all the way to his bedroom, and the television is left on. He's missing the end of a close game. The door is probably unlocked, and it's not even dark out yet.

He doesn't give a damn.

----

She's wearing just his tee shirt as she fixes them a snack in his kitchen. He's in his boxers, switching between ESPN and ESPN2, trying to gather all the day's highlights, and she keeps looking over at him, thinking how sexy he is. She knows that if she says anything, they'll end up right back in the bedroom. She has a feeling that's where they'll end up anyway, but still.

"So what do you want me to say to him exactly?" Nathan asks, his back still to her as he watches the screen.

"Who?"

"Aaron," he says with a laugh. "You know? The reason you came over and seduced me?"

"Oh." She bites the bottom of her lip and he turns around just in time to see it. "I forgot," she says sheepishly.

"I think I helped you forget," he says proudly.

"Stop it." She can feel herself blushing. She smiles, recalling her conversation with Catherine. She hops up onto the counter, swinging her legs as Nathan walks over. "So...what are you gonna say?"

"I was waiting for you to tell me," he admits, standing in front of her with his arms crossed. She holds out an apple slice and he leans down to bit it.

"Well, what'd you say to Matt about Ginny?" she asks.

"You realize we're basically responsible for setting up all our friends?" he points out. She smiles and shakes her head. "That's kind of funny." He rests his hands on her thighs as she eats her apple. "I told Matt to just talk to Ginny."

"That's it?"

"I think I threatened him or something."

"Of course you did," she says, smiling and rolling her eyes. "But...Aaron..."

"He's different. I know," Nathan insists. "I'll just ask him what happened. And I'll tell him...Wait. What am I telling him?"

She laughs and pulls him closer so he's standing between her legs. He certainly can't complain about that. She wraps her arms around him, running her hands over the bare skin of his back.

"Tell him that there's something there, and maybe he needs to give her a second chance," Peyton says.

"Second chances, huh?" he says, and she nods. "What happened the first time?"

"She said thank you."

"That's nice," he says unknowingly.

"It is, but...that's all she said, and he didn't push the issue," she tells him. "Now she..."

"Wants him to push the issue?" he suggests. She nods her head. "I'll talk to him on Monday." She smiles at him and runs her hand along the top of his boxers at the small of his back. "What?"

"You're sexy when you play matchmaker," she says, looking at him through her eyelashes.

"Oh yeah?" he asks. She nods and hooks her legs around his thighs. "Just then?"

"Mostly," she teases. He shakes his head and leans forward, kissing the apple of her cheek, down along her jaw line to her neck, and her head lolls to one side as she relishes the feeling of what he's doing. "Oh."

He smirks against her neck. He loves that he can kiss and touch her in ways that make her let out those sounds and those syllables. They make his heart race and make him want her even more, and...

And then she pushes him away.

"What's wrong?" he asks worriedly.

"Nothing, I was just...I said 'oh' because I have an idea." He looks at her with a blank expression, almost hurt that it wasn't just him making her feel as good as he did. "I really, really want nachos."

"I was kissing you like that and you were thinking about nachos?" he asks indignantly. "Nice."

"Hey," she says, pulling him closer. "It wasn't...It felt really good, I'm just really hungry." He doesn't say anything, but he looks down, and she's honestly worried that he's offended. "Nathan, come on..."

"No, it's just...This is payback for earlier, isn't it?"

"What?!" she laughs. "Nathan...no. I...Oh my God, you're so adorable." He looks sheepish and almost boyish, so she takes his face in her hands and kisses him gently. "Seriously. You're so sweet."

"Promise me something?" he requests, smirking in a way that lets her know that she probably won't like what he's about to say.

"What?"

"Promise you'll never withhold sex just because you're less than impressed with me?"

"Nathan!" she shouts. She shoves at his chest, but he doesn't move. "I most certainly will _not_ make that promise. But hey, _you_ could just not piss me off."

"That's not a promise I can safely make either," he admits, and they both laugh. "But I'll try _real_ hard, babe."

She laughs and pulls him close, kissing him quickly. "Thank you. Does that include making me some nachos?"

"So I have to talk to Aaron, be Mr. Matchmaker, _and_ make you food?" he asks, and she nods. "And just what are you going to do for me?"

"Um..." She pretends to think, then smiles at him. "Stay over?"

"But your dad's home."

"So? He knows I stay here when he's not home," she says. She reaches for Nathan's phone sitting on the counter and dials her home number.

"Peyton..."

"Shh!" He rolls his eyes and pushes up her shirt so his hands are resting just over her underwear at her hips. "Hi daddy...No!...That doesn't mean...OK, yeah, I'm gonna ask for something...I was wondering if I could stay with Nathan tonight...I know, but since you're home, I thought I'd check...Thanks, dad. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you...Bye."

"When we have a daughter, I hope she still calls me daddy when she's 18," he says. He kisses her forehead before moving away from her, and she has no idea how to respond.

She's thinking about what their daughter would look like.

_Will_ look like.

----

Peyton is standing at her locker Monday after classes have let out when she sees Nathan and Aaron coming down the hall. Catherine is beside her, and she takes a deep breath. Peyton smiles and waits for the boys to approach, and Nathan kisses her before opening his locker to gather the things he'll need to do his homework.

"Hey," Aaron says to Catherine.

"Hi."

"You wanna...grab some ice cream or something?" he asks. Peyton smiles up at Nathan, and he winks at her, knowing neither Aaron nor Catherine can see.

"Yeah. Sure," Catherine answers, smiling at him. "Peyton, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Later, Cath," Peyton replies. Nathan sends a nod Aaron's way, and they take off down the hall towards the main doors, leaving Nathan and Peyton standing alone. "Thank you."

"It didn't take much," Nathan insists, trying not to take credit that isn't his to take. "I just asked him what was going on with them, and he said he's been working on it."

"What'd you say?" Peyton asks as he closes his locker door.

"I told him to keep working," he says with shrug of his shoulders.

She looks up at him, smiling gratefully, then slips her arm through his. "Thank you."

"I really didn't do anything."

"But you were willing to," she says. He pulls open the door at the end of the hall and holds it for her, and then she wraps her arms around him once they're on the quad. She kisses him quickly, then they just stand there like that for a few moments. "I love you for that."

"You're kind of...cuddly today," he notes, pulling away a little so they can head to her car.

"I guess."

He senses there's more. He wonders if he knows what it is.

"Hey," he says, stopping again. He stands in front of her and she looks at him like she's confused. "I hope I didn't...Last night, when I said..."

"Nathan," she says softly. They don't need to have this conversation. They've talked about the future and about kids. He's kind of cute, all flustered and trying to explain himself, but she doesn't need him to.

"I didn't want to freak you out or anything, but...I think about that stuff sometimes," he admits.

"I know. We talked about it on my birthday, remember?" she asks, smiling at him to show she's certainly not scared.

"Yeah. I guess I just...It's not just some...like, fantasy. Not for me," he says. "I actually want that life with you."

"I know you do," she says. She runs her hands up and down his back in a show of support. "I want that too."

"Eventually."

"Yeah," she says quickly. "Eventually. Not like...not...now."

He smiles and nods his head, but he feels like now he's made too big a deal of all this not happening right away. Of course, that wouldn't necessarily be ideal, but it wouldn't necessarily be awful, either.

"But if you...If...you know..."

"_Nathan_," she whispers, shaking her head.

"I'm just saying. It's not...I wouldn't...Nothing would change with us," he insists. He can't believe they're having this conversation here, on school grounds, but he also kind of doesn't care. "You know that?"

"I know. Nathan, what's with you?" she asks.

"I just wanted you to know. With my dad, and...I'm not like him."

"I _know_ that. I've always known that." She reaches up and runs her hand over his cheek before letting it come to rest on the back of his neck. "Can you stop acting like I don't know who you are?" she asks laughingly. "Because I do."

"I know. I know. I guess I was just thinking about it," he says quietly. "I wanted you to know."

"OK." She nods and slips her hand into his. "Come on. I'll let you take me to dinner."

She's pulling him towards her car before he can laugh or tell her how crazy it is that they can have a serious talk like that, then just move on instantly. He likes that they can, that they don't have to dwell on everything. He loves that their conversations are so simple, but so full of all the things they each want the other to hear.

So they go for ice cream, then to dinner, and Nathan makes fun of her for wanting to do things in that order, but he not-so-secretly loves that she's so different from all the other girls. They arrive at Peyton's place just in time for tip-off so they can watch the Duke vs. Virginia game with Larry.

Honestly, there are only a few things Nathan can think of as better ways to spend an evening.


	30. Chapter 30

Peyton walks into the gym one day well after school has let out, and only Nathan is in there, with his uniform shirt untucked and the top couple buttons undone, and his tie sitting next to his bag. He doesn't hear her come in, he just keeps making shots and catching his own rebound. She stands there for a few minutes, his tie holding her hair in place, and the ring he gave her on her hand. She's wearing those pearls, because she felt like she wanted to that morning, and she feels like she's never loved him more than she does in this quiet moment that he doesn't even know he's a part of.

She had a meeting with a few of the other senior arts students and a couple teachers, and she'd told him to just go home and she'd see him later, but when she got out of that meeting, there was a note tucked into her locker that told her to go to the gym. She loves that he'll do that kind of thing - stick notes into her locker door for her to find. It's cute, but not cheesy, since the notes are usually straight to the point. _Meet me in the gym_, or _You look hot today_, or _Come over later_.

"What's a cheerleader gotta do to get a kiss from the star player?" she calls out, making him turn around and look at her.

"I dunno. I have to check and see if my girlfriend's around," he says as she walks towards him.

"And if she is?"

He rests his hands on her hips when she slips her arms around him. "Then I'll kiss her instead." He presses his lips to hers and pulls her a little closer, just because they're alone, and he, for some reason, loves kissing her in the empty gym. "Hey."

"Hi." She arches her back a little - it's been killing her lately - and Nathan unabashedly checks her out. "What?"

"Shut up. You just...did that little thing, and..."

"What?" she laughs. She knows. She wasn't doing it to get her to notice him, though.

"So sexy," he tells her. "You OK?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," she says. She's smiling differently, and he knows there's something she isn't telling him.

"What's with you? You're...you're keeping something from me."

"I am not!" she cries. "I'm not. I just had a long day and my back hurts. Coach J gave me one of those heat pack thingies..."

"Heat pack thingies?" Nathan asks incredulously.

"Yeah. You put it on and it heats up."

"A compress," he corrects, shaking his head.

"Whatever," she says, frustrated. "Anyway, it didn't help."

"What'll help?" he asks. He picks her bag up off the floor without her asking him to, and then he grabs his own.

"I don't know. I've tried everything," she says, shrugging her shoulders.

"How about...we watch a movie in your room and I'll give you a really good massage," he suggests.

"Yeah?" she asks hopefully as they start walking towards the door.

He winks at her and pushes the door open for her, and he's almost afraid to touch her, but he rests his hand between her shoulder blades she he takes her keys from her before she even asks him to drive.

She falls asleep as he's massaging the small of her back where she insists the pain is. He thinks that's a good sign. He hates that he has to wake her up, but he knows that if she sleeps like that on her bed and he just leaves, she'll be mad, and he can't really blame her.

When he wakes her gently, her eyes droop as she climbs beneath the covers, and as he tucks her in, she wakes a little more.

"Stay," she pleads sleepily.

He can't say no. He doesn't want to. He climbs into bed with her, and she curls up against him. She murmurs that she loves him, and he has to laugh when she's asleep before he can say it back.

----

Acupuncture. It's not something she'd ever seen herself doing, but it's her last resort. She refuses to go to a chiropractor, and Nathan says she shouldn't anyway. Something about...well, she kind of stopped listening. He was shirtless at the time and she couldn't concentrate, and he smirked when he realized it.

And she talked to Robbie's surgeon mother (she's a doctor, after all) and Lauren suggested that Peyton try acupuncture, and gave her the name of someone to go see.

She's sitting in the waiting room next to Nathan, and she's a little bit nervous, but he's casually flipping through an issue of SLAM like he's on the couch in his apartment. She asked him to come with her, and he'd teased her just a little bit about needing someone to hold her hand, but of course, he drove her the her appointment and he'll sit here and support her because she needs and wants him to.

"What?" he asks when he notices her looking at him.

"Nothing!"

He closes his magazine and looks over at her like he knows all her secrets. "Peyton."

"I'm a little freaked out," she admits needlessly. He smiles and drapes his arm around the back of her chair. "It's weird, right?"

"Not really," he insists. She cocks her brow in disbelief. "It won't even hurt. You'll hardly feel it. It just like, releases the pressure or something."

"How do you know that?"

"I...maybe Googled it," he admits. She smiles and shakes her head. "What?"

"That's so cute," she says quietly.

Her name is called moments later, and Nathan squeezes her hand before she gets up. She takes a breath and walks into the room, and she knows she'll be fine, but she's still a little unnerved by the whole thing.

It's ten minutes later when Nathan is reading an article about how Tyler Hansborough is a great college player, but could be a bust in the NBA, and the acupuncturist comes into the waiting room and calls Nathan's name. He stands, looking confused, and follows the woman down the hallway.

"She needs a hand to hold," she explains, and Nathan lets out a soft laugh and nods his head.

So he holds her hand. She's laying on the table and she looks at him sheepishly, but he just shakes his head like it's no big deal and he's there for her no matter what.

He's certain it's harder for him to watch than it is for her to have done. It's a little weird to see her laying there on her stomach, her back exposed and just a towel over her bottom half, and watch the woman tap those little needles into his girlfriend's back. But he doesn't say anything about it. He just holds her hand, and none of them says a word. Peyton has her eyes closed - almost like she's already feeling better and is relieved - and Nathan gently strokes her knuckles with his thumb. The acupuncturist smiles at him a couple times and he just smiles back. He knows how it must look for him to be there - like he's some sort of super boyfriend who comes to the rescue whenever his girl needs it - and he kind of is. He'll do whatever she needs him to do, and maybe it'd be weird if he didn't know she'd do the same thing.

When they get to his place, she's a little tired, and she sits down on the sofa while he calls for Thai food like she's been craving all day. She'd passed him a note in algebra, asking how he felt about it. He could only laugh and shake his head.

"You alright?" he asks, sitting down next to her.

"Actually, yeah. My back already feels better," she admits. "I didn't think it'd work." He nods his head and leans over to kiss her temple. "Sorry I was a total baby."

"You weren't. It's fine."

"Still. I'm sure it was gross to watch," she says, laughing a little bit.

"Are you kidding? It was awesome, seeing my girlfriend get poked with a bunch of scary-looking needles," he says sarcastically.

"I'm sorry!" she cries seriously. "I never even thought of that!"

"Yeah, not the most fun I've ever had," he admits. He's smiling at her when she rests her hand at the back of his neck as they sit together.

"So why'd you do it?"

He looks at her like she should already know the answer, and he shrugs his shoulder. "Because you needed me to."

"I was scared," she says quietly. He nods his head and then kisses her quickly.

"I know. I probably would have been too," he says. "I just wouldn't have admitted it."

"Tough guy," she mumbles, making him laugh. "Are you ever scared?"

"About what?"

"Anything," she says, like it's a given and it shouldn't matter.

"Well...yeah," he admits softly. "Of course."

"Of what?"

"Lately?" he asks, and she nods. He knows he could lie. He could make something up that's silly and pointless, but they don't do that kind of thing. He doesn't want to lie, and even more, he thinks that telling her what he's afraid of will make him less afraid, in some strange way. "I'm scared I'll get to Duke and I won't be as good as everyone thinks I am."

His voice is soft, and it makes her shake her head. "Nathan, that's...That's crazy."

"Not really," he insists, shrugging one shoulder. "It happened to my dad when he went to school."

"But you're better than him," she says, like it's a given and he already knows it.

He smiles. "That's what I said." She laughs at him and tucks one leg beneath her. "I dunno. Maybe it's stupid, but..."

"If it's how you feel, then it's not stupid," she says, interrupting him.

Of all the things this girl says, that may be one of the most insightful. He was always taught basically the opposite of that. He'd talk to Dan about a fear, and Dan would tell him to man up and get over it. His mother would baby him to the point that he stopped telling her things (and for a while she wasn't around anyway). He wouldn't say anything to Whitey, because he didn't want to lose face and look like he wasn't invincible, though he knew the man knew as much.

But now he can tell Peyton, because she doesn't judge him, and she doesn't treat him any differently, and she knows he's not invincible, and she likes it that way.

"But Nate, you're like, the best player in the state. In a lot of states, I think. Duke is crazy about you already. Oak Lake like, wants to create a shrine dedicated to you," she reminds him. Granted, maybe she knows a little more about that than he does...

She reminds herself that she can't tell him all that just yet.

"I guess."

"And we're going to go there next year, and you're going to be in the starting lineup as a freshman, and you're going to be awesome."

He smiles again. "See, this is why I tell you things. _You're_ kind of awesome."

She laugh and tips her head back. "Well, thank you."

"What about you? Aside from acupuncture, what are you afraid of?" he asks, and she punches his shoulder in response to the teasing.

"You'll freak out."

"Will not. What?"

She takes a breath and starts toying with the collar of his shirt. "Sometimes...Sometimes I'm scared that maybe we'll break up or something," she says quietly, avoiding looking at him. It's a shame, he thinks, because the look on his face would surely tell her how crazy that fear is.

"Peyton, that's...How many times have we talked about the future?" he says, turning towards her a little more and resting his arm over hers on the back of the sofa.

"No, I know. But...I'm sure everyone talks about that. No one goes into a relationship thinking they're going to break up."

"Well...we're not breaking up," he says firmly. "Not gonna happen."

"How do you know?" she asks. She's almost smiling. She loves how confident he is about it; that he believes in them so fiercely.

"Because...I just do. I just...You and I - together - is the only thing I'm _not_ scared about," he says.

She's convinced. Those words, perfect and sweet and simple, have her not worrying anymore. He knows they'll be together, and if nothing else, that tells her that he'll fight for them - for her - every single time he has to.

How could she not be put at ease by that?

----

Peyton is in the senior art studio at school, working through her study hall, trying to finish an incredibly important piece as she listens to her iPod. It's quiet, since there are only a handful of seniors who have access to the studio during this period, and they're all out doing other work. She needs the privacy and the quiet and the good lighting right now. This is probably one of the most important things she's ever painted, and she needs it to be as close to perfect as she can get it.

She doesn't hear the door open, and she doesn't realize she's not alone until Robbie sits down next to her. She damn near jumps out of her skin, then presses her hand to her heart and closes her eyes.

"_Dammit_, Robbie," she says as she tries to calm her nerves.

"What is this?" he asks, looking to the canvas on the easel before them.

"It's...um...something I'm working on."

"I can see that. Peyton..." His eyes are still fixed on the painting, and she thinks that's a good thing.

When she was commissioned by the headmaster and Coach Jennings to do a few paintings to hang in the hall outside the gym, commemorating the state championship win, she was nervous. Not only because these paintings will be there forever and mean a lot to a lot of people. Not only because they'll be unveiled at the sports banquet that'll honour the players and coach and name Nathan the team's MVP of the season, though she's the only student in the school who knows that. And yes, it's killing her to not be able to say anything. The day they asked her was that day a couple weeks ago when she'd met him in the gym and he immediately assumed she was keeping something from him.

But it's not just all of that, that has her nervous. These guys are her best friends in the world, and one of them, she's 99% sure is the love of her life.

No pressure.

She's working on the team portrait right now. It's the team celebrating the win, and if she's being honest, it looks pretty damn good. The detail is amazing, since she was there and she can put that emotion into it that maybe another artist couldn't.

She's already finished the one of Nathan. What can she say? He's an easy subject for her.

Next will be a still life of a uniform, the championship banner, the trophy they won, and a basketball, all sitting in with empty gym as the backdrop. She's got a rough sketch of that one already.

"It's...OK, you _can't_ say anything," she tells Robbie pleadingly, and he nods his head. "They've asked me to do this to hang outside the gym."

"Like...a tribute?" he asks, and she shrugs her shoulder and nods. "Peyton, that's huge."

"It's...yeah. It's kind of a big deal," she admits. "No one else knows. No one's supposed to."

"Not even Nathan?" he asks.

"Especially not him," she says cryptically. He smirks and raises his brow. "Robbie, I'm serious."

"OK, OK," he says. She believes him, and they both look back to the canvas. "You know this is like, really fucking good, right?"

She laughs and shakes her head before looking at him again. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," he insists. "And look how good you made me look."

"I know. I was feeling generous," she teases.

"Ha, ha," he says dryly. He takes a deep breath and rests his elbow on her shoulder. "Damn, that was a good night."

"One of the best," she says quietly.

"How much does Nathan love that you're a basketball junkie?" Robbie asks with a laugh.

She turns to him with a mischievous look on her face and says, "you don't want to know."

He laughs and shakes his head, and he pulls out his math work, and he does homework while she paints. He doesn't offer suggestions (he knows better than to add his two cents) and she doesn't say much of anything at all. As much as they make fun of each other and torment each other, but they've been friends forever and this is one of the reasons. He understands her art a little more than some people, and she knows he likes absolute quiet when he's doing homework.

That, and they genuinely like spending time with one another.

"Hey, so Aaron's taking Catherine out on Friday," Robbie says, and Peyton smiles widely and nods. "You two totally set that up didn't you? You and Nathan?"

"We...well, no. I mean, we kind of...helped them. They were already into each other," she explains. "And I mean, how long has this been in the works?"

"Freshman year, at least."

"Exactly."

"You think he'll kiss her?" Robbie asks as he packs up his things.

Peyton looks over at him quickly, giddy at the thought. "I don't know. You think he will?"

"There's a good chance. Cath's kinda hot." He says it like it's a bit of a surprise, but that it's still somehow obvious.

"She totally is. In that kind of..."

"She has no idea," Robbie says, shaking his head.

"I know, right?" Peyton says in wonder. "It's crazy."

"Well, I know Aaron," Robbie insists. "He'll let her know."

"Politely," she laughs. He smiles and shakes his head. That certainly sounds like Aaron.

"Totally."

As she puts her things away, Peyton smiles to herself, knowing that Catherine is going to get a chance to be genuinely happy, and that Aaron will do everything in his power to make sure of it.

Lunch is next, and as Peyton and Robbie walk towards Peyton's locker, they see Nathan and Brooke standing there talking. Both brunettes look to Peyton and Robbie as they approach, and Peyton looks over and winks at Robbie discretely. He picks up on the hint immediately, knowing what she's got up her sleeve. They walk right past Nathan and Brooke without a word, and Brooke shouts at them down the hall. Peyton links her arm through Robbie's and throws Nathan a smile over her shoulder, and he just shakes his head and runs his hand over the back of his neck.

She's noticed that he does that every time she does something that makes his heart race. When she asks him about that later that night, he just smirks at her.

"You caught me," he says.

----

They've been on March break for not even 24 hours.

Peyton rushes into Nathan's apartment and into his bedroom, and she gets on top of him so that she's straddling his thighs. He only wakes up when she runs her hands through his hair and then down his bare chest.

"Guess what?" she says excitedly.

"What time is it?" he asks tiredly.

"Early. _Guess what_?"

"Hmm."

"Aaron kissed Catherine!" she says, like it's breaking news and she had to wake him up to tell him.

"Hmm. Time?" he repeats.

"Nathan! This is exciting!"

"Dammit woman, what _time_ is it?" he asks gruffly, pulling her wrists to bring her closer.

"Liiiiike, 7:00?" she says, hoping to be cute enough that he won't be mad.

He looks at her like she's insane. So much for her not being a morning person. "You woke me up at 7:00 on a Saturday - on the first day of March Break - to tell me that our friends kissed?"

"It's big news," she says innocently.

"It's seven o'clock."

She smiles when he does, and he puts his hands behind his head. She takes note that that the sheets are gathered at his waist, just the way he likes them when he sleeps, and she can see the planes of his chest and his amazing stomach. His hair is all messy, and he's all groggy, but he's waking up and his eyes are starting to shine at her a little bit.

"You look..."

"Tired?" he suggests, raising his brow.

"Sexy," she says quietly.

"See," he starts, "_this_ is how I like to be woken up." She shakes her head and seriously considers moving, but she doesn't really want to. "You sitting on my lap, telling me I look sexy."

"Oh yeah?"

"It'd help if you were naked, but I'll take what I can get," he says, somehow managing to keep a straight face. She shakes her head like she didn't expect it. "No, I'm serious. Start taking your clothes off."

"Nathan!" she cries. She pointlessly shoves at his chest, but he grasps her wrist in his hand and holds it tightly. He pulls her close, so her lips are just inches from his, and the friction between their bodies makes both their breathing speed up.

"I do love to hear you scream my name, though," he says gruffly.

It's 7:00 a.m, and this is so not what she came for, but when he kisses her and rests his hands on her hips and pulls her shirt over her head, she can't bring herself to stop him. They're young, and they're on spring break, and _damn_, he's a good kisser.

She's supposed to have brunch with the girls. There's a good chance she'll be late.

----

By Sunday afternoon, she's bored out of her mind. Nathan spent his day playing ball with the guys, and she finished all her homework. All of it. Now she's got a week left to do nothing. Granted, that's kind of the point, but she's not really one for just sitting around and doing nothing.

So for the second time in two days, she's bursting through the door at Nathan's place, and for the second time in two days, he's shirtless when she sees him. He's just stepped out of the shower, and his upper body is slick with water. His hair is wet and the navy blue towel he's got around his waist sits low on his hips.

"Hey," he says. She's staring. She doesn't say anything, and he smirks. He absolutely loves that they still look at each other like that even though they've been together over six months. "Up here," he says teasingly, and her eyes meet his. She blushes and he shakes his head. "What's up?"

She seriously contemplates saying 'my temperature', but she knows that'll just start something. Not that she'd be adverse to it, but still.

"I'm bored."

"Oh. Wanna go to a movie or something?" he asks nonchalantly, grabbing an apple from the fridge.

She hops up onto the counter, and he shakes his head. Of all the places to sit in his apartment, that seems to be her favourite.

"I want you to take me somewhere," she states firmly.

She looks him up and down again, and he notices that she's wearing the jeans he loves and those boots he still remembers from all those months ago. "I'll take you," he murmurs, resting his hand on her thigh as he wedges himself between her legs.

"I'm serious," she laughs. "I want to go someplace."

"Like where? Dinner? I dunno."

"Yeah. I guess," she states.

He gets the feeling she's indifferent to the idea, so he comes up with a better one. He'll have to make a phone call, but he's almost 100 per cent certain it won't be a problem.

"Or...we could go to the beach house," he says, shrugging his shoulder before taking a bite of his apple.

Her eyes fly up to meet his. "Really?"

"I just have to call dad," he says casually. Dan still owns the beach house, despite having bought a place in one of Tree Hill's most expensive communities. "We could drive out there tonight if you want to."

She throws her arms around him and pulls him close, and he laughs at her a little bit. "That sounds perfect," she says.

"Me, you, the beach, and a huge house all to ourselves?" he says. "Sounds damn good to me."

So they drive his Mustang to Tree Hill after getting the green light from both their dads, and they spend the next six days in front of a fireplace, or walking the beach, or hanging out at the River Court. They have very few interruptions. They have dinner with Deb and Cooper, and another with Keith, Karen and Lucas. Dan comes for a little visit one afternoon, but other than that, they're on their own.

Nathan doesn't tell her anything about it, but Dan said something about signing the beach house over to him when he turns 18. 'As a graduation gift', Dan said. Nathan doesn't think he'd be able to say no if that actually all happened.

When he sees Peyton standing on the back porch one morning, looking out at the waves as she sips her coffee, wearing just his sweater and a pair of shorts, he's almost certain he _needs_ that house. He needs more moments like this with her.

And after all, he promised her they'd have an awesome house. Maybe they'll have it a little earlier than they thought.


	31. Chapter 31

It's the first Friday back after March break, and everyone's been telling their stories all week long. Claire headed to Cambridge to visit Duncan at MIT. Brooke and Robbie went back to the ranch in Kentucky for a few days. Matt and Ginny stuck around Oak Lake, only because his parents were away so they had the house to themselves. Catherine and Aaron went on several dates, spending most of their time together.

And so as the guys play ball two on two in the gym after classes have let out, the girls sit on the bleachers with cans of Diet Coke and gossip about whatever they can gossip about. One of the other cheerleaders is trying out to be a Laker Girl in a couple weeks, so she's pretty much the talk of the school, though Claire - always the cheer captain, though the season is over - insists the girl doesn't have what it takes. Peyton and Ginny start laughing, saying that maybe Claire should try to be encouraging, but she just shrugs her shoulder and says she's perfectly fine with being a bitch about it, thank you very much.

Peyton is sure that Aaron thought he was being discrete as he jogged past and winked at Catherine, but he's clearly forgotten who he's dealing with. These girls don't miss a thing.

"Wow. That's only been like, four years in the making," Ginny says, nudging Catherine's leg with her own.

"Don't tease her," Peyton warns, throwing her arm around Catherine's shoulders. The girl is blushing profusely already, and surely doesn't want any more attention placed on her.

"Alright, alright," Claire adds. "But that tie _does_ look good holding her hair in place, doesn't it?"

"Stop it!" Peyton laughs. But that navy blue fabric does look good tied into Catherine's hair.

"Wow," Ginny says after taking a sip of her drink. "This is weird without Brooke here."

"I know, right?" Catherine says. "All those years it was just the four of us, and now it's so...She's a part of our group."

"Hey, Hargrove!" Peyton shouts. Robbie stops trying to defend Nathan, which allows Nathan to sink a basket, and Robbie scowls at Peyton as Nathan smiles and juts his chin towards her in thanks. "Where's your girlfriend?"

"She had a bunch of shit to do," he says. He knows the reason Brooke isn't there. She threatened him with bodily harm if he said a word. "She went home."

"Bitch!" Ginny says, aghast. She starts laughing and the boys go back to playing. It's Matt and Robbie against Nathan and Aaron, and she's bored. "That's it. This sucks."

"What?" Claire laughs. The other girls exchange looks, but none of them have any clue what's going on with Ginny. They do this pretty often, and she's never really complained before.

Ginny sets down her can of soda and claps her hands together a couple times, getting the attention of the boys on the court. "At least take off your shirts or something! Come on! Basketball isn't entertaining enough on its own!"

The girls all start to laugh (though they agree that the shirtless thing isn't a bad idea), and Nathan just looks at Matt, who's just shaking his head at his girlfriend's antics. Nathan smirks, but Aaron looks at him like he's crazy.

"I'm not indulging her," Aaron insists. He glances at Robbie, who just shrugs his shoulder and peels off his tee shirt. The girls cat-call him from the bleachers and he tosses his sweaty shirt towards them. "Shirts and skins?"

"All of you!" Ginny insists. She looks at Matt with a raised brow, and he takes off his shirt, walking towards her with it in his hands. He drops it in her lap and leans forward for a quick kiss before running back onto the court and taking the ball from Aaron's hands.

"You think he'll do it?" Peyton asks Claire, referring to Aaron.

"No way. If she hasn't seen him shirtless one on one, he won't," Claire insists, pointing to Catherine. It's then that she notices how red the other girl's cheeks are. "You have! She _has_!"

"Stop it," Catherine hisses. "Please."

"Whoa, hang on. What the hell?" Peyton asks with a laugh. She clearly hasn't heard that bit of gossip. As much as she knows Catherine isn't one to kiss and tell, she still wants the dirt.

Catherine rolls her eyes and runs her hand over her face. "It's...I'm...he's my boyfriend," she says, because that kind of explains everything.

She blushes even harder when Aaron takes off his shirt and runs over to set it next to his bag on the bleachers. He smiles at Catherine, no doubt loving the colour on her cheeks, and Robbie passes the ball to him.

Nathan struts over and reaches for the bottle of water sitting next to Peyton, and when he lowers it after taking a sip, she's looking at him with a strange expression on her face.

"What?" he asks.

"I didn't think you'd be the last to take your shirt off," she says, making all the other girls laugh. She's always teasing him about how often he goes without a shirt.

"You know, you guys are taking advantage of us," Nathan states. "Using us for your own enjoyment."

"You're our boyfriends," Ginny says. "That's what we're supposed to do."

"What about Robbie? Brooke's not even here right now," Nathan says in defense of his point.

"No. I just look good without a shirt on," Robbie says, grinning and shrugging his shoulder. He sinks an easy three, then puts his hand on his hip. "Come on, Nate. Let's play, man."

"Now, hang on a second," Nathan says, holding out his hand like he's got an idea that's just too good not to suggest.

"Uh oh," Peyton mumbles, earning her a glare.

"I'm thinking that if we have to take our shirts off, they should at least come play with us," Nathan suggests.

Normally he wouldn't do this. The guys like to push each other, and these little games they have are actually pretty intense. But they've had one every day after school this week, plus time in the weight room, and they've been working for 45 minutes. A little fun might be just what they need.

"No way," Claire says, shaking her head. "Not a chance."

"Come on," Nathan says. "It'll be fun. Me, Peyton, Aaron and Cath against you guys."

"Nathan, we're all wearing skirts," Ginny points out.

"Exactly," he says, smirking wolfishly. Peyton's jaw drops and she looks at him like he's on thin ice. "Brooke would do it."

He says it just because he knows that, well, Brooke _would_ do it, but also because he knows it'll be enough of a challenge for the other girls that they'll seriously consider it.

It doesn't take much. Peyton stands and takes off her cardigan, dropping it onto the bleachers. She pulls her hair into a ponytail as Nathan smiles at her, and she walks towards him, her skirt swaying and her eyes locked with his. She tugs at his tee shirt, and though it might be borderline inappropriate, given that they're with their friends, she pushes it up and takes it off him, throwing it towards the other girls. Claire laughs as she catches the sweaty shirt, then she stands up and checks herself into the game too.

"You're fucking hot," Nathan says, resting his hands on Peyton's hips as everyone else talks about the rules. Nathan never really has been one to care about rules.

"You know how good you look when you're all sweaty like this?" she asks, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

He takes a deep breath and places his hands on hers for the sole purpose of making her stop running them over his stomach. "They can play three on three, right?" he asks.

"Come on, Scott. Show me whatcha got," she says enticingly.

"That's what I was suggesting," he mumbles, making her swat his chest as she laughs.

She turns away from him starts towards the group, and he loves that she's wearing Chuck Taylors with her uniform. She does it pretty often, but he thinks it's awesome. She's equipped (sort of) to play this game, and while it's silly and it doesn't count for anything, he still wants to win.

"Ball!" Peyton shouts, clapping her hands together. Aaron tosses the ball to her, and she sends up a shot from the three point line. Nathan lets out a soft laugh at her perfect (in a few ways) form when she drains the shot. "Let's play."

"You realize she's one of a kind, right?" Matt asks Nathan.

"Hey!" Ginny cries, offended.

"You are too, babe. Just...a different kind," he says, gently kissing her forehead.

"Good save," Robbie laughs.

He picks up the ball and moves to center court, and it's Ginny against Peyton for the tip off, and Peyton, the girl with the most basketball knowledge, wins the tip and passes to Nathan. He's so loving every second of this. Playing ball with his best friends and his girl, in an empty gym that's just full of laughter and the sounds of their shoes on the hardwood. This is a good day. This is a really good day.

Coach Jennings hears the laughter coming from the gym as he's about to leave the school, and when he opens the door to see what's going on, he just shakes his head and smiles at the eight kids all playing. Ginny shoots the ball, but it bounces off the rim, and Matt takes the rebound and dunks it. All the kids, no matter what 'team' they're playing on, cheer for their friend and then start up the court again. Nathan passes to Peyton, who's a far faster runner than any of them anticipated, and she goes in for an undefended (well, Claire tried...) lay up.

"24-18!" Nathan shouts, to keep them all afloat on the score. He notices Coach Jennings standing in the doorway, and he just smiles at the man, who smiles back.

Coach Jennings leaves just in time for Nathan to come up behind Peyton and lift her up to help her 'dunk' the ball. That sparks an argument on whether or not the basket counts. Robbie says it doesn't, but Nathan asks if, were they physically able to lift each other, would they do that in games if it meant getting points. It's a stupid argument and they all know it.

The basket counts.

Not surprisingly, Nathan, Peyton, Aaron and Catherine win the game. They had the best offensive player and the best defensive player and the best girl player. It was a little uneven, but the score ended up being 36-27, so it wasn't exactly a blowout.

As they're driving to Peyton's place, Nathan drinks an entire bottle of Gatorade, and Peyton steals glances at him. She's made no secret that she loves to watch him play (who wouldn't?) and she loves to see him with a little sweat on his skin. Her own curls are matted, and she's come a little undone as a result of their game.

Larry's away, and Sandra is on vacation, so they have the house all to themselves. As soon as they're inside, Nathan rests his hands on Peyton's hips from behind and toys with the buttons of her white shirt.

"You know? I always wanted a girl who'd play ball with me," he says, not kissing her, but letting his lips graze her ear.

"Well...now you have one," she says, for lack of anything better to say.

"Mhmm."

"We should..." She can't speak when he grips her hips a little tighter and kisses her just below her ear. "_Nathan_."

"What?" he asks, faking innocence.

That boy is _so_ far from innocent.

"Shower."

"Together?" he asks, placing kisses along her jaw line.

She doesn't say anything. She pulls herself from his hold (though it's definitely hard to do it) and pulls her shirt off her shoulders (he'd already unbuttoned it anyway) and tosses it towards him before she starts towards the stairs. As she's walking up the stairs, just before he reminds himself to follow her, she pulls her white tank top up over her head and drops it behind her.

He always wanted a girl who'd play ball with him. He loves that the girl he's found insists on showering with him after playing, too.

----

When Brooke calls the girls over to her apartment the next afternoon, none of them have any idea what the hell she's got up her sleeve. It's not that they've never all hung out at her place before, but there was a giddy excitement in her voice that told them that there was something more to it than just girl talk.

Peyton picks Claire up on the way, and they each ask if the other knows what's going on. Neither has a clue. When they get there, Ginny and Catherine are already sitting on the sofa, and Brooke is cradling a mug of coffee in her hands and still wearing a pair of pajamas, though it's after 2:00.

"What's going on?" Claire asks. She sits down on the floor while Peyton squeezes in between Ginny and Catherine.

"Seriously? What's with the pow wow?" Peyton echoes. She left Nathan at her place, and as far as she knows, he's doing laps in her pool. That's not necessarily something she wanted to miss out on witnessing.

"I did something crazy," Brooke states. "It's...really cool though."

"This have something to do with the reason you blew us off yesterday?" Ginny asks, grinning at her own exaggeration.

"Yes," Brooke says.

She reaches for her portfolio - she has one now, since starting at Oak Lake and becoming an 'art student' - and pulls out four different pieces of paper and hands them around. Each girl's paper has her name printed at the bottom, with a bit of a likeness (in that fashion-y sketch way) wearing a beautiful dress.

"Brooke...What is this?" Catherine asks. Her dress is an amazing navy blue - her favourite colour - and appears to be silk or satin or something. It's got a full back, cap sleeves, and a box neck. It falls to the floor and flows perfectly. It's all _perfect_.

"I maybe designed our prom dresses?" Brooke says, raising her shoulders and looking guilty, though she has absolutely no reason to look guilty.

"Are you kidding me?" Peyton asks, wide eyed. On her page is a black dress, tight and strapless and cut just to the knee. The fabric is ruched or draped or...some fashion term Peyton doesn't know, she just knows it looks awesome.

"No. I just thought...I mean, we have a couple months, and I can probably get these done. I just need your measurements," Brooke says, shrugging her shoulder. "We can get the fabric at cost from this place I know, and it'll be way cheaper."

"You designed us one of a kind dresses," Ginny states. "That's...insane." She laughs and shakes her head. "Amazing, but insane."

"You're my girls," Brooke says, like that'll explain everything. "I thought it'd be fun."

"Brooke," Claire says, her eyes soft as she flies across the room to hug their friend. "You were up all night doing this, weren't you?"

"I was," Brooke laughs. "I was excited."

They all laugh and trade designs so they can see each others' dresses. Ginny's is Grecian style and 'fern green', as Brooke calls it, and will contrast with her dark hair perfectly. The gauzy fabric will flow on her tall frame. Claire's is probably the most elaborate of them all. It's white (no doubt just a little bit of a joke, since they all insist she'll be engaged to Duncan before she graduates high school). It's got an empire waist and delicate beading on the straps. It kind of does look like a wedding dress, but she absolutely adores it.

"Did you do one for you?" Peyton asks, furrowing her brow.

"Mhmm. But I'm not showing you," Brooke insists.

"What? How come?!" Catherine cries.

"Because...OK, fine!" she says. It's clear she's ridiculously excited and loving the fact that her friends are not only loving the designs, but loving that she did this, and loving her in general.

When she shows the sexy, but tasteful, red dress with black trim she's come up with for herself, only Peyton recognizes it. It's that dress - with a few improvements - that she sketched the first day she ever spent at Oak Lake.

They all set a time during the week to go to this fabric place Brooke is telling them about, and Peyton checks her watch. She asks Ginny if she can give Claire a ride home, and they all ask her what she's rushing off to.

She doesn't even lie. She just says Nathan's name, and the girls tease her and laugh as she makes her way out the door.

She doesn't really care. If they had half naked boys waiting for them at their houses, they'd probably be pretty quick to leave, too.

----

They're sitting in biology class on Tuesday morning, waiting for the bell to sound so they can go to lunch. This is the only class Nathan and Peyton have together this semester, and they weren't even paired up as lab partners. Peyton's paired with Nadia, an extremely smart girl in the art program that could definitely be in the science program if she chose. Nathan has Matt, who's far smarter than anyone would maybe ever guess. Most of their assignments to this point have been completed on their own, save for a few dissections.

"Nathan, would you stay after class?" Mr. Richmire requests as everyone packs up their things after the lesson. Peyton looks at Nathan, but he seems confused, too. He hasn't, to the best of his knowledge, done anything wrong. He's never been asked to stay after class for any other reason.

"You want me to wait?" Peyton asks.

"No. I'll meet you on the quad," he says. He winks at her in hopes of reassuring her, and she walks away with Matt, immediately laughing at something or another.

Nathan approaches his teacher's desk and slings his bag up onto his shoulder. "What's up?" he asks casually, since the teachers are pretty cool at this school. Mr. Richmire is about 25 and totally laid back.

"Nathan, are you aware of what a passing grade is?"

Nathan's stomach falls. That doesn't sound good. "Um...60%, isn't it?"

"That's right," Mr. Richmire says, finally looking up from his table. "And are you aware of what your dedication level in this class has been?"

Now, Nathan has changed a lot in the last two years, but he's still got a quick temper, and he doesn't appreciate the insinuation that he isn't putting the effort into his school work. He's worked his ass off all year to keep his grades up, and he's just shy of the honour roll (something no one in Tree Hill quite believes). He's struggled a little bit with biology, but that's just because he really, really doesn't care. He tries to keep himself interested, but it's difficult. But really, all that means is that he tries twice as hard.

"i know I'm not the best student, Mr. R, but I'm trying my hardest, here," Nathan says, just a little defensively.

"I believe that," Mr. Richmire says, nodding gently. He reaches for some papers from the stack on his desk and stands.

"Well..."

"Nathan, do you know what the teachers here say about you?" Nathan shrugs and shakes his head; he has no idea what's going on, but he isn't crazy about it. "They say that you're a hard worker. And they appreciate that, because they know you could just ride on your talent and go to Duke and not put any effort in whatsoever."

"That's not what I'm doing," Nathan insists firmly.

"We know that," Mr. Richmire says. He smiles and hands Nathan the papers he's been holding. "But it still feels really, really good to be able to give you an 89% on your latest report." Nathan's eyes go wide, he looks at the mark on the paper (89%, written there in green marker), and then he shakes his head. "Which, I believe, brings your average for the semester up to 82% overall."

Nathan closes his eyes and lets out a sigh of relief. "You just scared the shit out of me."

They both laugh and Mr. Richmire reaches out to clap Nathan on the shoulder. "You're doing great, Nathan. I just had to bust your chops a little bit."

"This is the best mark I've ever gotten. I mean, outside of gym," Nathan says in awe, still looking at the report in his hands.

"You deserve it."

"Thanks," Nathan says sincerely.

"Keep it up, kid. Stay on the honour roll," Mr. Richmire says as Nathan starts towards the door.

"I'll do my best."

"I don't doubt it."

Nathan stands in the hallway for a few moments, wondering who the hell he's become and how school work seems to be coming naturally to him. He was never this guy. Ever. He struggled with his grades ad got by on his talent for the game and his charm. He'd use his blue eyes and his smirk to get himself out of trouble, and teachers would pad his marks just a little bit so he could stay eligible to play. Oak Lake is different. Sure, he was told at the beginning of the year not to worry about his grades, but he knows now that what the coach meant by that was that the teachers at Oak Lake were really, really good and would help him with whatever he needed. He hasn't been given any free passes, and yet he's making the honour roll. On his own.

And he feels damn good about it.

When he tells Peyton, she throws her arms around him and tells him how happy she is for him. He knows. He's always known. He loves her for it.

And the really cool thing is that everyone else is pretty happy for him, too. All his friends smile and congratulate him and tell him that it's awesome that his grades are so good. He feels like the best version of himself, and he realizes it for the thousandth time since he moved. And the thing is, like he told Peyton months ago, he feels like he can be better.

Maybe the best part of all of it is that he's going to keep pushing himself. He knows, like his teacher said, that he could just float by on his talent and go to Duke and do the same thing there. For the first time in his life, he feels like he wants to put effort into his schooling and his basketball (the latter still just that little bit more than the former). He realizes that he's got a rare gift, an inexplicable capability with a basketball, but he also realizes that he'll be more of an asset to any team if he's well rounded as a person, too.

Oak Lake has give him so much, and he thinks he hasn't given enough back. When he's in the gym after school that day, playing with no one, but moving like he's up against a whole team of defenders, and he sees the banner hanging from the ceiling, he wonders if maybe he's made his contribution.

----

Ginny walks up to Peyton at her locker one day with a worried look on her face, and Peyton immediately knows something's up. Ginny doesn't do vulnerable, not at school. It's clear she's come to Peyton when Nathan isn't around for a reason. Peyton is immediately concerned.

"I need your help," Ginny claims.

"OK," Peyton says, nodding gently, hoping to be reassuring.

"Can we skip off last period?"

"Sure," Peyton insists, gathering her things and reaching for her car keys. She's supposed to meet Nathan so they can go for pizza and watch the Bobcats game at her place, but he'll understand; he knows she'll do anything for her friends, and it doesn't bother him to take a back burner every once in a while.

"OK. Thanks," Ginny says as they walk towards the main door.

"Can you tell me what's going on?"

"I will. Soon. In...when we get to your house," Ginny insists.

Peyton doesn't ask anything more, knowing that she won't get any answers anyway. She just unlocks the doors to her car and gets in, and when Ginny starts crying in the passenger seat, Peyton listens as her friend breaks down and tries to get out words that are no doubt unbelievably hard to say. They aren't even out of Peyton's parking space when Ginny tells her what's going on.

It's not the way she expected to spend her Friday night, but she doesn't care. Her friend needs her, and she's never taken her friends for granted. She won't start now.

She just starts the ignition and takes them towards her house.


	32. Chapter 32

Nathan walks into his last period chemistry class and drops his things on his desk. He can't wait for this day - and week - to be over. He can't wait to go grab dinner with his girl, go to her place and watch a ball game on her dad's massive plasma screen. It sounds perfect, and he and Peyton have both been busy with school work. She's got art projects due, and he's been practicing a lot, and they haven't spent a ton of time together this week. He wants to just be near her.

Matt walks in and takes his seat next to Nathan, and he looks just as relieved as Nathan is that there's only 50 minutes left of school.

"You seen Peyton?" Matt asks.

"No. She wasn't at her locker between periods. I haven't seen her since lunch," Nathan says. It is a little odd, but nothing to be worried about. He can go a few hours without seeing her. He doesn't really want to, but he can do it. "Why?"

"I have to ask her something about some algebra homework," Matt says as he opens his books. "I'll just call her tomorrow."

Nathan nods his head and his phone vibrates in his pocket. He pulls it out to see that he's got a text from her, saying that she's fine, but she blew off last period. She tells him she'll call him later. He just laughs softly and slips his phone back into his pocket.

"She skipped," Nathan says.

Matt just smiles and shakes his head. They both know she can be a little badass. And Nathan knows that if she'd told him she was leaving, he'd go with her, and he knows she won't 'let' him skip off. He thinks it's amazing that she looks out for him and wants him to be on his best behaviour to keep his marks up, but that's not to say that he doesn't want to spend a Friday afternoon outside of school.

She calls him as soon as class has let out, and he's at his locker, dropping his things into his bag.

"Hey. I'm sorry," she says sincerely. "I have to cancel tonight."

"Oh. Everything alright?" he asks worriedly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Something came up though. You should watch the game with the guys," she insists. "Come over after."

"Are you sure? You sound...stressed." Robbie's coming down the hall, flanked by Claire and Brooke and Nathan offers a nod.

"No. I'm alright. I promise," she says. "I'll talk to you later, though."

"OK. Call me..."

"If I need anything," she says with a laugh. "I will. Love you."

"You too." He hangs up and slings his bag over his shoulder. "Hey man. You wanna watch the game at my place?" he asks Robbie.

"Yeah. Definitely," Robbie says, a little too eagerly. Nathan looks at him questioningly. "These two are doing something to do with shopping, and..."

"Enough said," Nathan laughs. "Come over around 6:00. I'll get pizza."

"I'll get beer," Robbie says. "Matt's got a thing with his parents, but Aaron should be around."

"How do you know?" Nathan asks.

"Because Catherine's coming with us," Brooke says. She turns to Robbie and kisses him quickly. "Seeya. Call me later."

"I will," Robbie promises. This is normally where Nathan would make a joke about his friend being whipped, but they all know he's in no position to comment.

"Later guys," Claire says. The girls walk down the hall, where they meet Catherine and head for the door.

"I'll call Aaron. I gotta run though. I'm putting in a couple hours at the firm," Robbie says as he walks away. He gets paid $20 an hour to sort through files and alphabetize at his dad's law firm. Nathan can't blame the guy for wanting to work a little bit.

Nathan walks to his car after saying goodbye, but he can't get Peyton's voice out of his mind. Sure, she said she was fine, but he's never heard her sound like that, and he's not sure that's a good thing. But she tells him everything, and she has no reason not to. As he steps through the door to his place, he reminds himself that she knows she has him to talk to, and she will if necessary.

He kind of hates that he won't be seeing her until later, but he convinces himself that it's not so bad. He hasn't had a 'guys' night in a while.

He grabs a drink and starts on his homework. He figures that if he gets it done now, he'll have the entire weekend to do nothing.

The old Nathan just wouldn't have done the work at all. He laughs to himself and shakes his head. Times have changed.

----

The guys are spread out around Nathan's living room, empty pizza boxes on the table and each holding a beer in their hand. They're each only having one, since they all have to drive, and they complain about how lame their Friday night is, but they all agree that it's kind of awesome to just hang out and not have to worry about anything.

"How come we don't do this more often?" Aaron asks during a stoppage. The Bobcats are up nine points on the Grizzlies, so it's not a bad night.

"I dunno," Robbie admits.

"Um, I do," Nathan says, smirking at his friends. "Girls."

"Oh," Robbie says with a laugh. "Right. Girls."

"And now that this guy and Catherine are finally working it out..." Nathan starts before he's interrupted.

"Come on. Don't start," Aaron says. He and Catherine are ridiculously quiet about their relationship. Nathan almost admires that they just do their own thing and try to steer clear of gossip. "How crazy would it be if we all played pro?"

Sure, maybe he was just desperate to change the subject, but it certainly worked. They all sit there for a few moments, contemplating what it would be like if they ended up playing against one another in the NBA. They'll do it at the college level for sure, but now they're already thinking beyond those four years. They share smiles before the game starts again, and it's weird, Nathan thinks, that they're all so confident in their own and each others' abilities. Weird in a really good way. They all know how rare it is to make it, but they're all determined to do it, and they're all convinced they each have what it takes.

And there's a part of Nathan that can't wait for the first Duke vs. UNC game next year, where he'll play against Robbie in that intense atmosphere.

----

When Nathan walks into Peyton's bedroom that night after the game is over, he finds her on her bed, listening to soft music and wearing her pajamas and doing nothing else. She looks amazing, laying there on her back with her feet at her pillows, but he senses that something's going on.

"Hey," she says when she sees him. "Sorry about before."

"That's OK," he says sincerely. "Are...you OK?"

"I'm fine," she answers.

He doesn't entirely believe her, but he kisses her when she smiles, because she's obviously trying to convince him, and it's kind of cute. He asks her what she wants to do, and she tells him she's got a movie she wants to watch that he'll probably hate, and he laughs at her as she tells him she'll run for snacks while he gets comfortable.

When he steps into her bathroom, he's more than a little surprised to see the pregnancy test sitting in her trash can. It's not a place he'd ever look. Ever. But the box is sitting on the counter, and the test is in the trash, and his heart starts racing and his palms start sweating.

Oddly enough, he doesn't even think to check and see what the result is. He spends a good three minutes standing with his hands on her countertop, trying to breathe and not be angry. The breathing thing, he's got under control (mostly). The anger thing, not so much.

He steps back into her room when he hears her come in, and she's acting like nothing's really wrong, and that's just not OK with him right now.

"How could you not tell me?" he asks.

"What?" She's confused. What the hell is he talking about?

"The...you have a pregnancy test in your bathroom, Peyton," he says softly, though still managing to convey his anger. And fear. And a whole lot of other emotions.

"No, it's not...I'm not..."

"I don't care if it's negative. I don't understand how you could keep that from me!" He turns his back on her, and she's getting pissed now. He's certainly jumping to some serious conclusions here, and she doesn't appreciate it at all.

"_Nathan_."

"Don't. You're...I can't believe you."

"Nathan!" she shouts, getting his attention.

"What!?" he yells back.

"The test isn't _mine_," she tells him. He looks at her with a blank expression and she softens her tone. "I would never...God, if I thought I was...I'd _tell_ you."

"Peyton," he says quietly.

"It hurts me that you think I wouldn't," she says, desperately trying to keep herself from crying. She doesn't really know why, but it's been an insanely emotional night and crying actually feels like it might make her feel better. Especially now.

Mostly because the first test Ginny had taken had ended up being positive. The second and third were negative. Both girls ended up crying and hugging and Peyton tried to assure Ginny that no matter what, everything would be OK. She of course, believed it was true, but Ginny wasn't entirely sure about it, and Peyton couldn't blame her. They each breathed a sigh of relief when that second test turned out negative, and an even bigger one when the third one was negative as well. Two out of three had to mean something.

Peyton never thought of Nathan coming over and potentially seeing those tests. It hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Sorry, but...you see a pregnancy test in your girl's bathroom, and..." he starts before she interrupts.

"No. I'm sorry. I should have...I'm sorry," she says.

"I'm such a jerk. I just yelled at you, and...Wow."

"Nathan, stop," she says. She grabs his hand and pulls him towards the bed so they can sit down. "You...that's the way most guys would react."

"I'm not most guys," he reminds her. She shakes her head, but he places his palm on her cheek. "I always thought that...I mean, especially with you...I'd be...better at this or something."

"I don't think it's something you can know until you go through it," she tells him.

"I'm still sorry. The last thing you'd need if you thought you were pregnant is me yelling at you." She rests her head against his shoulder, because there's a little part of her that loves that they're getting this false alarm out of the way, so that if they ever find themselves in this situation, he remembers how _not_ to act. "If not you...who?"

"Nathan, you can't say anything," she pleads, shaking her head. He nods, but that isn't enough for her. "I'm serious. Not to anyone."

"I promise," he says. She smiles. He's never broken a promise to her before, and she doesn't know why she really needed that extra assurance.

"Ginny. That's why...when I called you..."

"Oh. Whoa."

"I know. I wanted to tell you, but..."

"No," he's quick to insist. "You didn't even have to tell me now. But...she's not, though. Right?"

"No. No, she's not," Peyton says. "I was...That was scary, Nate."

"I'm sure it was," he says quietly. "But...what if she had been? Did she tell Matt? Is she going to?"

"She hasn't. I told her she should. She doesn't want him to freak out though."

"He won't."

"Because you handled it so well," she says, raising her brow and making him roll his eyes. "Would you want to know? If you were him?"

"Considering how I just freaked out? Yes."

"No," she says, laughing softly. "I mean, if I had already taken the test and it was negative. You'd still want to know?"

"Absolutely." He leaves no room for argument, but she doesn't look convinced. "Peyton, I don't...I want to know everything about you. And I...I could help you."

"Help me?"

He takes a breath and tries to think of how to explain himself. "My mom told me once...She had a false alarm when I was like, 10. She said it was really confusing or whatever."

"Oh," Peyton says softly. She's never had to go through this, herself. She doesn't know what that means.

"I guess she didn't really want another baby, but she was still...disappointed or something," Nathan explains. Peyton nods gently and looks to their hands. "Are you OK?"

"Me? I'm fine."

"Peyton." He smiles, because he loves that she thinks she can fool him. She _so_ can't.

"It's scary," she admits. "That could have been anyone."

"Not us," he reminds her. She looks over at him, and he knows she's about to argue. "Peyton, we are...ridiculously safe."

She laughs and nods her head. "I know that. I guess I'm just...freaking out a little bit about...growing up." He lays back against her pillows and she moves to lay in his arms. "I'm 18 now, and I'm going to Duke, and...all these girls...Nathan, these girls are my family. And now we're all going different places, and everything's going to change."

"Not everything," he insists quietly. "Brooke and Robbie are going to be at UNC, and Matt and Ginny'll be at Wake Forest."

"I know, but...it's not the same."

He says his next words delicately, because if she hears them the wrong way, she'll be pissed, and he'd like to avoid that if possible. "Maybe that's not the worst thing. Maybe...things'll change for the better."

"Like how?" she asks, almost pouting. She's so cute that he has to kiss her hair and pull her even closer.

"Like...we'll be on our own. We'll be together, and we'll get to know what it's like to live with one another," he says.

"What else?"

He laughs softly, but he'll tell her anything she wants to hear. "We'll come home for holidays and see everyone, and hear all their stories."

"You aren't scared?" she asks quietly, looking up at him.

"How can I be scared when I've got you with me no matter what?" He smiles at her, and he can tell she wants to roll her eyes, but she doesn't do it. "That's all that matters to me anyway."

"And basketball."

"I guess," he says, shrugging his shoulder. "But even if I don't have that...I'll still have you."

"Yeah. You will," she promises. She doesn't move, and he's getting the impression they won't be watching a movie. He's just fine with laying with her like this anyway. "Thank you. For making me feel better."

"That's my job," he says nonchalantly. "I gotta keep you happy...and satisfied."

"Nathan!" she cries, laughing as she pulls away and sits up a little to look down at him.

"What? It's true."

She shakes her head and takes his hand in hers. "After the night I've had...I don't really want to..."

He sits up and kisses her to keep her from talking. "Peyton."

"Hmm."

"There are other ways for me to keep you satisfied," he tells her.

She bites her lip and it looks to him like she's going to make a joke, but she just lays down instead and pulls at the front of his shirt. Either she knows exactly what he means and she's all for it, or she's just changed her mind.

_Either way_, he thinks.

----

Peyton is showering on Saturday morning, and Nathan's laying shirtless in her bed, flipping through the sports channels as he waits for her to emerge. Sure, he could be making breakfast or, well, doing anything productive, but he doesn't really feel like it, and it's only 9:00, and Peyton told him before she stepped into the bathroom that she wanted to spend her entire day lazing around in her bed with him. He's just getting a head start.

When Ginny comes in with tears in her eyes wearing no makeup and only sweats, he freezes immediately.

"Oh. Sorry," she says brokenly.

"No, come in. What's wrong?" he asks, gesturing for her to step into the room. She sits at the edge of the bed and breaks down, and he doesn't know what else to do other than wrap his arms around her, so that's what he does. "Ginny."

She clings to him, and he knows she probably needs it. "We broke up," she says after a few moments.

He's speechless again, just letting her cry with her face buried in his bare chest, and he's kind of pissed at Matt, because judging by the way she's acting, it wasn't Ginny who initiated the split. He mumbles a few soothing words, but nothing that really means anything, and he really wishes Peyton didn't take so damn long in the shower. Ginny didn't come over so that Nathan could sit there like an idiot and not know what to do, she wants her best friend.

He's eternally thankful when she steps out of the bathroom just a few minutes later. She stops in her tracks when she sees one of her best friends in her (half-naked) boyfriend's arms, and the pleading look Nathan gives her lets her know that there's something seriously wrong. She moves quickly towards the bed and sits down next to Ginny.

"What?" she asks urgently. She's afraid she already knows the answer.

"Matt broke up with me," Ginny says, finally calm enough to really talk. "I went to see him after..." She stops talking and looks to Nathan, and then back to Peyton.

"I told him. I'm sorry," Peyton says sincerely, shaking her head a little. "I had to."

"No. No, I understand," Ginny insists, wiping her tears. "I told Matt, and..he totally freaked out, and he said he can't trust me, and..."

"Fuck," Nathan mutters. He's kind of pissed. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. He...I just thought he'd want to know, and I lead with the fact that I'm not...pregnant, and...He still flipped out," Ginny says as more tears well in her eyes. "I just didn't want to keep it from him."

"You did the right thing," Nathan insists, and Ginny looks at him.

"Yeah?"

"You did. He has a right to know," Nathan says gently. He's still got his hand on her back in a show of support, and Peyton smiles at him over Ginny's head. "I kind of can't believe he doesn't see that."

"What'd he say, exactly?" Peyton asks.

"He said that he thought I was on the pill, which I am," Ginny says seriously. She turns to Nathan. "Sorry." He smirks and shrugs his shoulder because he doesn't care if he hears that. "And he kind of like...I dunno. It felt like he was blaming me."

"Are you serious?" Peyton asks in surprise. That doesn't sound like Matt. None of this sounds like Matt. She knows, though, that Ginny wouldn't lie. Ever, but especially not about this, and especially not to Peyton, and especially not with Nathan in the room.

"Yeah. It was...really weird," Ginny admits. A tear slips from her eye and Peyton pulls her into her arms. "I don't want us to break up."

Nathan stands from the bed and reaches for his jeans. "You're not."

"What?" Ginny asks.

"I'm going over there," he states.

"Nathan," Peyton says, smiling at him and shaking her head. He's like a protective older brother to her friends, and she thinks it's kind of adorable.

"No. This is fucking ridiculous," Nathan says angrily as he pulls on his shirt. "I'll be back in a while."

"Hey," Peyton says. "Be nice."

"I'll be nice when he stops being a dick."

He's out the door, and Peyton is smiling just a little bit, because he always seems to be taking care of everyone else, and she loves how invested he is in her (their, now) friendships. He was the catalyst for Ginny and Matt's relationship, and she knows he's pissed because Matt is acting in a way Nathan never would (or at least he thinks he wouldn't). Peyton thinks that if more guys were like him, more girls would be happy.

"I like him," Ginny says, resting her head on Peyton's shoulder.

Peyton just laughs softly. "Me too," she says.

"Do you think he'll get through to him?" Ginny asks quietly.

Peyton nods her head and smiles a little wider. "I know him. He won't leave until he does."

----

When Nathan pulls into Matt's driveway, he doesn't even cut the engine. Matt's playing ball, no doubt trying to clear his head, and Nathan hopes to make his point rather quickly. It'll probably be harsh, but he's sure that this is the time for it.

"You're an idiot," Nathan says, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Don't start, man," Matt warns, dribbling the ball a little too hard and then shooting it so it bounces off the rim. He mumbles a curse, though Nathan isn't sure if it's over the missed shot or the girl.

"Dude, you're being a moron. You know how cool that girl is? And for some reason, she's crying over your sorry ass." He notices Matt's face change as soon as he hears that his girl is crying. "You wanted her for _so_ long, Matt. Now you have her, and you're breaking up with her over this?"

"She didn't tell me!"

"Yes, she did!" Nathan shouts back. "She waited until she knew, which is kind of considerate. She freaked out about it, basically _alone_, so that you wouldn't have to."

"She should have told me."

"She loves you, man," Nathan insists, softening his tone just slightly. He recalls that night Robbie said those same words to him, and how that opened his eyes. "And honestly? If she were pregnant? I mean...you should _be_ so lucky."

"Lucky?" Matt asks, as if he needs an explanation as to how being a father 18 would make him lucky.

"The girl you love - the amazing girl you've loved for probably years - having your baby?" Nathan says, smiling just a little bit. "Sounds pretty good to me."

"I'm 18. We're _18_."

"Maybe the timeline wouldn't be the best, but...Would you love her any less?" Nathan asks seriously. He already knows the answer.

Matt puts his hands on his hips and takes a deep breath. "I'm an idiot," he says.

Nathan laughs and pats his friend on the back. "Come on. I'll drive you over there." Matt looks at him in confusion. "She's at Peyton's place. I had to get out of bed to beat some sense into you."

"Verbally," Matt insists as he gets into Nathan's car.

"I would have hit you if you needed it." Nathan isn't joking at all. They probably both know that.

When they walk into Peyton's room, both girls are laying on the bed, arms linked and listening to Paramore (angry chick music, as Nathan calls it) really loudly. Peyton notices that Matt looks remorseful, and she turns down the music as Ginny sits up a little. Nathan's taking his protective stance (arms crossed, serious expression, looking all intimidating) and Peyton can't help but grin just a little bit. She doesn't know what he said to Matt, but she knows it got the point across, whatever it was. She honestly didn't expect anything less.

"Hi," Matt says softly.

"Hi," Ginny replies.

They just look at each other for a moment, and it's quiet, and Peyton knows they need alone time to talk it out. She stands from the bed and heads for the door. "We'll be downstairs," she says.

She closes the door behind them, and she kisses Nathan as soon as they're alone in the hall. He moans in surprise, then laughs a little when she pulls away.

"I love you for always taking care of everyone," she says softly before kissing him gently once more.

He could make a joke, or tell her that he kind of likes taking care of everyone (her, in particular), but he doesn't. He just wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her into his side and they head downstairs. He doesn't need to assure her of any of it. He doesn't have to remind her that he's a good guy, and the way she said those words wasn't like she was surprised by the fact. She said it like she's known it all along and she's loved it all along.

And alright, maybe what he said to Matt about the girl he loves having his baby was just the way he feels about he and Peyton. The fact that it worked to open Matt's eyes lets Nathan know that he's not crazy to feel that way.

Not that he'd really care either way.


	33. Chapter 33

The week before the basketball banquet, Peyton is dying to show someone her work. Well, someone other than Coach Jennings and the headmaster. The Athletic Department heads all took a look as well, but Peyton doesn't necessarily care about all them. She wants to know what her friends are going to say. Since only one of them knows about the 'project', she drags Robbie out of the gym one day when he's playing with the guys, and they all look at her questioningly as she pulls him by the hand towards the doors.

She explains once they're walking down the hall, and he laughs and tells her that now Nathan is going to ask him all kind of questions, and they're both going to have to lie to him. Peyton shrugs her shoulder. She's okay with fibbing just a little bit.

They walk into the back room of the senior art studio, and she pulls a key from her pocket to unlock a safe. Robbie makes a joke about how tightly they're all keeping this under wraps, and Peyton glares at him, as if to tell him that he knows better than to joke about this right now.

He assures her - and they both know he's not exaggerating - that her work is amazing, and it's going to be a hit, and Nathan is going to freak out when he sees what she's done. She actually sighs her relief. She doesn't know why she's so nervous about this, but she certainly is. Robbie tells her to _'stop freaking the hell out'_, and they walk back to the gym. Nathan looks at her questioningly, and she blows him a kiss.

She probably shouldn't, but she stays there and watches the guys practice. She's got homework to do, so she lays on her stomach on the wooden bleachers, her feet in the air and the sounds of the ball and the guys' sneakers on the floor. By the time the guys are done working, so is she. Nathan had study hall last period, so she knows he's done his work too, and they had agreed to go to her place after school. Now they'll have the whole evening to do whatever they want.

She's talking his ear off about some girlish drama among a couple of the juniors on the cheerleading squad when they step through the door to her place. He doesn't really care about what she's telling him, but he's listening because he'd be a jerk not to. He smiles his thanks at Larry when the man calls them into his office.

"Sit," Larry says. It's not terse or angry, but Nathan hasn't ever really been in Larry's office, save for when Peyton went in there to grab an encyclopedia they needed for homework once.

So Nathan does as he's told, but Peyton doesn't. She's defiant and stubborn, and Larry just smiles and shakes his head. That alone is proof enough to Nathan that they aren't in some kind of trouble.

"What's up dad?" Peyton asks.

"I wanted to run something by you," he says. "I was thinking we could all have dinner the night before the banquet."

"Um...Sure," Peyton says. She doesn't know why they have to have a meeting in her dad's office about that.

"What I mean to say is, we should invite Nathan's family - his mom and dad - over," Larry elaborates.

"Oh," Nathan says.

"Dad...Nathan's family..."

"No. It's fine," Nathan insists. "It'll be...They're not so bad anymore."

"Are you sure?" Peyton asks worriedly, resting her hand on his shoulder as she stands behind him.

"Yeah. I'll call them both tomorrow," Nathan says. Peyton squeezes his shoulder, and Larry smiles at how loving and supportive his daughter is.

"We should invite Luke, Keith and Karen," Peyton says.

Nathan looks surprised. "Really?"

"They're your family too," she says, shrugging one shoulder.

"Sure," Larry says. "Invite whoever you like. Maybe that Cooper character, too."

"Dad!" Peyton laughs. Nathan just shrugs his shoulder as he smiles.

"He's kind of a character," Nathan admits.

"Alright," Larry says, picking his pen up again. "Get out of here. Unless you want to review policy regarding..."

"Nope," Nathan interrupts as he stands, making Larry laugh. Peyton starts walking towards the door, and Nathan hears the jingle of keys.

"Nathan," Larry says. Nathan turns around and Larry tosses a key ring his way, which Nathan catches easily with one hand. "Third gear's sticking on the SL. You feel like taking it out for me? Clean out the cobwebs?" Nathan's face lights up, and Peyton just smiles and shakes her head. "Better put the top down, too."

"Oh, of course," Nathan says, like it's all part of his duty.

"Take a couple hours. It's got a full tank," Larry insists. Nathan smiles and nods, then Larry goes back to his work and Peyton starts up the stairs to her room to change.

Nathan follows her, and when he steps into her bedroom, she's already unzipping her skirt.

He's gotta be the luckiest guy in the world.

"Put on something sexy," he says with a smirk, laying back on his elbows on her bed.

She steps out of the closet in just a white tank top and her underwear. "I thought you liked the school uniform."

"Oh, I do," he's quick to insist. There's lust in his voice, because even after so many months of seeing her in that skirt every day, he hasn't gotten sick of it. Not in the slightest. "But...wear those jeans I love."

"I don't have to do what you tell me to!" she shouts through the door.

"No, you don't. But I know you. You will."

"Pretty confident about that, aren't you, Scott," she says. She walks out, and she's wearing those jeans (though he knows they're her favourite pair, too), and a plain black camisole. It's unseasonably warm for April, but she grabs a grey knit sweater as well. "Come on."

"Wait a second," he says, standing from his place. He changed after his work out, so he's wearing a pair of jeans and a crisp white polo shirt. He loves the way she runs her hands down his chest and over his stomach before wrapping her arms around him, and he really wants to believe that she's never touched anyone like she touches him. He doesn't know why he's even thinking it.

"What?" she asks when she notices the look on his face.

"What were you doing with Robbie today?" he asks. Truthfully, it's been driving him insane, and he doesn't want to care, and maybe he doesn't, really. But he's curious.

"You'll find out soon enough," she says cryptically. She gets up on her toes and kisses him quickly, then walks towards the door.

"What does that mean?"

"Just...trust me, okay?" she requests. Her tone is serious, like he has nothing to worry about, and it's no big deal. He wants to ask more, but he won't because he trusts her. He does.

"Okay," he says quietly.

"Come on. Take me for a drive," she says, smiling at him over her shoulder.

Not that he was arguing against the idea anyway, but how can he not follow her anywhere she goes when she says things like that?

They walk down the stairs and out the door that leads to the garage, and Nathan crosses his arms over his chest and lets out a low whistle. This isn't the first time he's driven Larry's car, but he'll never get sick of it. He's driven a lot of nice cars, and a lot of fast cars, courtesy of his dad's dealership. But this is, quite simply, his dream car.

It's a brand new SL 600, with a V12 engine and a retractable hardtop. Black with beige interior, wood trim, and fully loaded with every option available.

Oh, and over 500 horsepower.

What's not to like?

"God, I love this car," he says. Peyton runs her hand over his shoulder and down his bicep, then starts towards the passenger side. The vehicle only looks better with her climbing into the passenger seat.

He hits the button to lift the garage door, then gets in and adjusts the seat before turning the key. He's never known a whole lot about cars, really. He knows this one sounds really damn good. He pulls out of the garage and waves to Jay at the gate before he pulls onto the street, and Peyton is searching through her iPod for something to listen to. He hadn't even seen her grab it, but he's not surprised that she brought it along. The girl always insists on having the perfect music to fit the moment, and she usually does. She settles on some really soft, smooth R&B singer he doesn't think he's ever heard before, and he retracts the top at the first stop light they come to, because he insists it's way more badass to do it after they're on the road. She rolls her eyes at him, but she kind of loves how much he loves this.

They've got a favourite route they drive when they get bored or just want to get out of the house. There are a bunch of back roads that weave through farmland and around bodies of water and a river that, if they chose to drive along it, would take them all the way to the ocean south of Wilmington.

Peyton reaches over and rests her hand on his shoulder as he drives, and he loves it when she does that. She tips her head back, closes her eyes and lets the wind rush over her face as she taps her fingers against the door. Nathan is absolutely taken with her. Always, but especially in these moments, when she looks so peaceful and quiet and...kind of free. He realizes how cheesy that sounds - he's very well aware of it - but it's true.

This Woman's Work comes on, a Maxwell song he's actually heard before (alright, only because it was used in Love and Basketball, a movie he's of course seen), and he rests his hand on her thigh as he steers the car past fields and meadows.

"Nate, if you're not comfortable with having everyone here..."

"No," he interrupts, looking over at her. He's smiling, and he moves his thumb back and forth over her jeans. "No. I'm actually...It'll be good, I think."

"Yeah?" she asks hopefully, running her thumb gently along the shell of his ear. He nods his head and she leans over to kiss his cheek.

"I like this song," he says, and she smiles like nothing he's ever said has ever made her happier. "Maxwell."

"Actually, it was written by Kate Bush. Maxwell covered it, and it's like, his biggest hit," she explains. He laughs softly and shakes his head, because she just knows everything, and normally, he'd find that annoying. He's not arrogant enough to hate it anymore. He likes that she teaches him things. Constantly.

They don't talk a lot after that. They listen to music and drive and every once in a while, they'll smile at each other. Peyton points out houses she loves, and they make random comments about their friends or things that happened that week. She tells him she wants an iced mocha when they pull through a town with a coffee shop on the main street, and he looks at her like she's insane, and asks if she really wants to risk drinking liquids in her dad's car. She tells him to _'live a little'_. So he buys her an iced mocha, and when the man behind the counter asks, Nathan and Peyton pretend the car is theirs, just for fun.

They're an hour and a half away from Oak Lake, but as they step out onto the street, a middle aged man with a young son recognizes Nathan - he's a state champion after all - and asks for an autograph. Nathan, of course, obliges him, and Peyton's heart swells as she watches her boyfriend kneel in front of the five-year-old boy and chuckle at the boy's insistence that he's going to tell all his friends he met Nathan Scott. The man thanks Nathan for his time, then watches as Nathan and Peyton get back into that amazing car (they both assume there aren't too many $150,000 sports cars around this tiny town) and Nathan pulls back onto the road, smiling the whole time.

"Get used to it," Peyton says. "You're going to be signing a lot of autographs."

He lifts her hand to his lips and kisses her knuckles, because he knows she doesn't just mean next year, or the next four years. He knows she means that he'll make the NBA, and people will recognize him anywhere he goes.

They return to Oak Lake after three hours, and Nathan smirks and hands Larry the keys, and insists that the car's running fine. Larry laughs.

They all know that there was nothing wrong with the car in the first place.

----

He's already called his mom, who insisted she'll call Cooper and also let Karen and Keith know about this dinner. Nathan thinks it might be some kind of character growth or something that she even offered to call Dan so that Nathan wouldn't have to. He simply reminded her that he gets along better with Dan than she does.

So he dials the phone not really knowing if his dad will agree to this - after all both Deb and Keith will be there, not to mention Cooper. But then he thinks of Christmas and the other few weekends he's spent in Tree Hill, and Dan and Keith seem to be able to get along alright if they have to (and maybe it's not really forced at all). Maybe this dinner will just be another stepping stone towards everyone getting along with no tension or underlying problems at all. He can only hope.

"Hello?" Dan's voice comes. Nathan can tell he's either at home or in his office.

"Hey, Dad."

"Nathan. How are you, son?" He sounds surprised, and Nathan can't really blame him. They usually talk about once a week, and it's usually on Saturday morning after Nathan's workout.

"I'm good. How are things at the mayor's office?" Nathan asks, just a hint of teenaged arrogant sarcasm in his tone. He kind of loves that he can joke with his dad again.

"A pain in my ass, more than anything," Dan says laughingly. "But I guess now that you're gone, I needed something else to give me headaches."

"Oh, thanks," Nathan says, chuckling as he grabs a bottle of water from his fridge.

"What's going on? You need money or something?" Dan asks, mostly joking. They both know that if Nathan said he needed cash, Dan would step up.

"No. Mom's got me covered there."

"I'll bet she does," Dan laughs.

"Actually, Peyton's dad has this idea that we should all get together for dinner on Thursday," Nathan explains.

"Oh," Dan says in surprise. "This Thursday?"

"Yeah."

"That sounds like a great idea," Dan admits.

"This isn't for your political agenda, dad," Nathan says teasingly. But he's not entirely joking.

"No. I want to meet Peyton's father. I'll be there."

"Yeah?"

"Of course," Dan says, as though it's insane that Nathan think he wouldn't show. "Just call me with all the details when you know them."

"Well, mom and Cooper will be there," Nathan explains. "And Keith, Lucas and Karen."

"Jeez. What is this? A family reunion?" Dan asks with a laugh. "It'll be fine. We're all...normal now."

"Normal?" Nathan says incredulously. "Dad, no matter how well we all get along, this family will never be normal."

"Well, we're more normal than we were," Dan says, amending his statement.

"Sure. If you want to put it like that."

"I'll see you Thursday, Nate. Call me with the details."

"Alright. Seeya, dad," Nathan says. There's a big, huge part of him that loves that he can say that word again without questioning whether or not he should.

"Goodbye, son."

He hangs up the phone and he's smiling, because this dinner actually sounds like it won't be so bad at all. And really, why would it be? It's just his girlfriend's father meeting his entire, messed up, really weird family.

OK, so he's a little worried.

When he calls Peyton to tell her that his dad is in, she's so excited and she so seriously tells him that everything will be fine, that he can't help but believe her.

Has she ever led him wrong before?

----

It's not a formal dinner, by any means, but Nathan figures it's nice enough for a button down and slacks, and as his parents, Cooper, Lucas, Karen and Keith sit in his living room and talk, Nathan changes into his clothes for this dinner that he hopes to hell isn't awkward. Of course, his family made fun of him for not being ready when they showed up, but he lost track of time after school when he and Peyton were talking (and making out) in the gym. He had no problem telling everyone that, either, and Deb had smiled and shaken her head at her son's honesty.

Nathan can hear Cooper telling a story, like he always seems to be doing, and everyone laughs, and it's kind of nice to have everyone in the same place. He tucks his shirt into his pants and fastens his belt, sprays on a little of that cologne he knows Peyton loves, then walks back out into the living room.

"Wow. That's...not a change at all from what we just saw you in," Cooper notes.

"These pants are grey, and this shirt is clearly not white," Nathan says, pointing to his attire. "And some of us own more than one decent shirt."

Cooper looks insulted for only a moment, then seems to forget about it, and Dan suggests they should probably head to Peyton's house. He's a little more anticipatory than the rest of them, not only because he's the only one who hasn't yet met Larry Sawyer, but also because he's a fellow politician. Nathan has already made Dan promise not to talk politics all night; he knows Larry likes to leave his work 'at the office' as much as possible.

Lucas rides with Nathan, just because the guys haven't seen each other in a while and they want to talk about ball and school and whatever else. Keith follows close behind, with Dan driving his SUV after his brother. Nathan feels pretty proud and maybe a little smug as he merely nods to Jay at the gate of the house that he knows is always pretty impressive to anyone who hasn't been here before. Lucas has been inside, once when he visited for the weekend and Peyton invited them over to watch a game.

He waits for everyone to get out of their cars, then he walks to the front door and rings the bell. He honestly doesn't think he's ever rung the bell before. Peyton opens the door, and he knows it's her before he even sees her, because she always runs and he heard her footsteps. She's wearing a really sexy dress (well, sexy to him; it's actually tasteful) and he seriously considers telling her how hot she is, but he knows it's probably not the time.

"You're ringing the bell now?" she asks with a laugh. He shrugs his shoulders and she looks past him. "Come on in."

They all say their hellos as Peyton leads everyone to the sitting room, while Larry walks in from the kitchen and greets everyone. Nathan introduces him to his father, and the two men talk while Nathan rests his hand on Peyton's back and tells her how amazing she looks. She blushes, he suspects because they're in a room full of people, and she asks if anyone wants a drink.

It all goes pretty well. Peyton, Karen and Deb talk about anything that isn't cars or basketball, and they all eat in the huge, beautifully decorated dining room. They all sip wine and laugh and talk, and Nathan actually feels like this was a really good idea. They talk about basketball and art and Duke. Lucas explains the details of his full academic scholarship to UNC, and Larry insists that's quite an accomplishment. Karen talks about the café and her club, and Keith is happy just to sit back and take it all in, really.

Larry, Cooper, Dan and Keith go for a brandy, while Deb and Karen talk in the dining room. Lucas is brought into the conversation, and Peyton turns to Nathan.

"You alright?" she asks quietly.

"Yeah. I'm good. I'm just...am I crazy, or is this actually going OK?" he asks in awe.

"You're not crazy," she tells him, laughing softly.

He glances at her again, and her hand is on his thigh as his arm rests on the back of her chair, and he feels far older than his age, but it feels good. "You look...seriously. This is like torture."

"Shut up," she laughs, turning away from him a bit. He kisses her temple, then leans in to speak in her ear.

"Can we just go to your room?"

"Stop it," she whispers. "Nathan, please."

"I think it's about time for dessert," Larry announces, stepping back into the room. "Peyton? Want to give me a hand?"

She laughs and shakes her head as she rises from her place. Her dad insisted that he not have Sandra stay to help, claiming it was too much work for her to do, and Peyton loves that about him. He doesn't work his staff too hard, and he's not pretentious about anything. Most politicians she's met barely lift a finger, and she would hate it if her dad was one of those guys.

When they return to the dining room with portions of Peyton's favourite cheesecake (Sandra's frozen mocha creation) and cups of coffee for everyone, the room is full of laughter. The good kind of laughter that comes from genuine contentment and good conversation with people you actually care about. Peyton sends Nathan a wink when no one else is looking, then sits down next to him again, and he says something to her about how she never shares her cheesecake, so he's never actually tasted this dessert before (it's true, and she laughs).

He's just about to tell her that he's going to start getting more aggressive about stealing bites, since this cheesecake is seriously amazing, but Larry turns to Deb and then to Dan, and he gestures to Nathan with his fork.

"You know, you've raised a fine young man," Larry says appreciatively. Peyton squeezes Nathan's knee beneath the table, and he looks to his plate. For all the praise he receives, he's still not so good with stuff like this.

"Well...we didn't have much to do with it," Deb admits. "He's done most of it without us."

Larry actually smiles. He knows that. There's a part of him that is impressed that these people before him aren't taking credit that they all probably know they don't deserve.

"We should actually probably thank Haley, as well," Dan adds after taking a sip of his coffee.

"Dad," Nathan says, aghast.

"You mean the one who gave my little girl a split lip?" Larry asks, making everyone laugh a little bit as Peyton rolls her eyes. She knows that for as long as they're all around, she'll be the girl who fought Nathan's ex. Maybe more than that, too, but she knows she's never living down that fight.

"I believe she got in her blows," Dan insists with a smirk, throwing a wink to Peyton. Her cheeks are turning pink, and Nathan really doesn't like where this conversation is going. Of course, Larry knows all about Nathan's past, but that's exactly why it doesn't need to be brought up now.

"Dan, drop it," Deb says, just sternly enough to get him to listen, but not sternly enough to make a scene. "And yes, Haley may have had a hand in it, but not as much as Nathan's _own_ choices and his _own_ commitments." Peyton notices Lucas squirm in his seat, and she wonders if he doesn't believe in that quite as much as everyone else. She chalks it up to him being Haley's best friend. "To be honest, it wasn't until he came here that he really...changed."

"Mom."

"Well," Peyton interrupts, bringing everyone's attention to her, "if you ask me, he's done it _all_ on his own." She says it politely, but like hers is the final word, and the subject should be dropped, and Nathan smiles over at her. It's not like she's really insulting Dan and Deb, since they already admitted they weren't the best parents. "And besides, it doesn't matter how it happened, really. Does it?"

Larry chuckles and nods his head. Point taken. He still thinks she'd make a good politician.

"Thanks, babe," Nathan says quietly, leaning over to kiss her temple.

The rest of the evening flies by, and all Nathan can think is that Peyton actually believes the words she said. She actually believes that he's changed all on his own. He absolutely loves that. For once in his life, he's met someone who isn't trying to take credit for anything that, really, is his doing. Sure, he's come into his own, and maybe it's had a little to do with everyone at this table, but most of all, he thinks Peyton is right. They were his choices and his work ethic and sometimes his mistakes. He loves that she understands it.

He loves that she's never asked much of anything of him. That's exactly what makes him want to give her so much in return.


	34. Chapter 34

The cheerleading squad is given the afternoon off on Friday to help decorate Oak Lake's banquet hall - and yes, Oak Lake has its own banquet hall - for the event that night. Peyton has her hair pulled up and held in place by a simply black hair elastic, and Brooke looks at her admonishingly and curls some green and gold ribbon, then ties it around Peyton's ponytail. She rolls her eyes, but goes along with it, because as Claire is always telling them, you never stop being a cheerleader. Peyton kind of thinks it's bullshit, but she'll smile and laugh, and really, she's never going to stop cheering for Nathan, so maybe it's not so far from the truth.

They have a seating chart all sorted out, and instead of numbering the tables one through 20 like most events would, they assign each table the jersey number of one of the players. Peyton was in charge of the seating arrangement, and rigged it so the table that she and her friends are sitting at will be table 23. And really, it fits, since it's front and center, and Nathan is MVP. Maybe it's just a little selfish, but the other girls just laugh and shake their heads.

"Well, at least you haven't tattooed it on your body somewhere," Brooke says with a laugh.

"What?" Peyton asks. Though she can't say she hasn't thought about it. She's just not crazy enough to brand herself with anything to do with a man. She's got slightly more sense than that, no matter how much she loves Nathan.

"I'd get Matt's jersey number tattooed. But I'll wait till he makes it to the pros or something. How much would it suck if you got the number, then they made him switch jerseys?" Ginny asks as she arranges yellow roses in a vase.

"Or broke up," Brooke adds. She looks at Peyton, who doesn't seem fazed. And there's something weird about that to her.

"Why do you sound like you're speaking from experience?" Claire asks. "I mean, I know you've got spirit, but..."

"You didn't...Lucas?" Catherine inquires.

"No!" Brooke is quick to insist. "No. Not me."

But fuck. Now she's dug herself into a hole, and she can't get out of it, and she's going to get Nathan in trouble. She doesn't know what to do, because now all the girls are looking at her like they're completely confused. It's very clear that Peyton doesn't know about Haley's tattoo, and Brooke is not so thrilled that she's going to have to be the one to tell her.

"Who?" Ginny asks.

"Um...No one. No one," she tries, knowing they won't buy it.

"Bullshit. Who?" Ginny says again.

"Just...this other kind of cheerleader I used to know," Brooke says quietly, avoiding eye contact.

"Haley," Peyton says, sighing and shaking her head. "Of course."

"I'm sorry," Brooke insists urgently. "I thought you knew."

"No. Of course not. I mean, why would he tell me that his ex-girlfriend has a slutty tattoo of his jersey number!?" Peyton says, throwing her hands in the air.

"Ex-wife," Ginny mumbles, earning her a look that terrifies her a little bit.

"And it's not...slutty...per se," Brooke says, not that it really matters. Peyton crosses her arms and looks at Brooke expectantly. "It's little, and it's like...here," she says, pointing to the center of the small of her back.

"Slutty!" Peyton shouts.

"It's not as slutty as mine," Brooke says, laughing a little bit, because it's kind of true.

"You have a tattoo?" Ginny asks. "How come we've never seen it?"

"Because you're not a boy. And where it is...you definitely have to be a boy to see it," Brooke explains.

The rest of the girls start pestering Brooke, asking to see the tattoo or at least have her tell them what and where it is, but Claire can tell that Peyton is actually pretty upset by this latest piece of information. She walks over to where Peyton is arranging place cards on one of the tables, and she rests her hand on her friend's arm, hoping to get Peyton to stop moving for a minute so they can talk.

"You OK?" Claire asks quietly.

"Fine."

"Peyton," Claire says, tilting her head knowingly. "Sit."

They sit down and Peyton shakes her head, knowing she's overreacting and she shouldn't be as bothered as she is. "It's so stupid, but it's like...there's all this stuff, you know? That she got to do first, and...I hate that he's got all these memories with her."

Claire actually laughs a little bit. "We've all got exes, Peyton."

"I know that," she admits. "But...they were married, and he did all these things with her, and maybe it's crazy, but...I just wonder what else he hasn't told me."

"If you ask me, he probably didn't tell you because he doesn't care."

"OK, fine. He doesn't care. But...don't_ I _deserve to know?" Peyton asks.

"That his ex was crazy and a little Single White Female?" Claire jokes. Peyton smiles a little, and Claire continues. "Come on. If he wanted Haley, he'd be with her. He had chances, from what you've told me, to work it out with her before he came here. He chose _you_, Peyton. She can get all the tattoos she wants, but he's still going to be _your_ boyfriend."

Peyton takes a deep breath and a moment to consider what Claire has said, and she's right. Nathan doesn't tell her those things because they aren't important to him anymore, and he doesn't care enough to share. It's his ring sitting on her hand, and his mother's pearls around her neck. She's got his sweatshirts hanging in her closet, and she's the one he's moving in with in Durham in a couple months. She's the one he's making promises to, and Haley's the one probably saving up for painful tattoo removal procedures.

No matter how Peyton looks at it, she wins. She gets Nathan.

"You're right," she says quietly.

Claire pats Peyton's knee and stands. "I know I am."

They all go back to their tasks, and Peyton turns on some music for them to work to. The room is full of laughter when Coach Jennings walks in with the state championship trophy to sit on the head table. He smiles at the girls when they all stop working momentarily to glance at the hardware. They're all - everyone at the school and maybe everyone in the town - proud of that trophy.

Brooke slips out unnoticed at one point, and she's waiting at Nathan's locker when he stops there between periods. He's on his own, and she's thankful. He can tell immediately that something's up, because she looks a little nervous, and she's clearly been standing there waiting for him, so as he's pulling his locker door open, he asks her what's going on.

"I did something stupid," she says.

"What?" he asks worriedly, squaring his shoulders to her.

"We were all talking about jersey numbers and stuff, and I maybe said something about tattoos, and..."

"Dammit, Brooke," he breathes out, closing his eyes.

"I thought she knew! I'm sorry!" she says, shaking her head.

"No. No, it's not your fault," he admits. He hits the wall with the side of his fist a little bit, because this is definitely _his_ fault. "Fuck. I didn't even think about that."

"I'm sorry."

"Brooke, stop. It's not your fault," he repeats, making her sigh. "I...Dammit. How pissed is she?"

"Not so pissed now. Claire talked to her. But...she might yell at you," she says, grimacing a little bit.

He sighs and closes his locker. "It'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," he says as they start walking down the hall.

"You seem pretty confident about that, Nathan," she says, skeptical of the whole situation.

"In case you didn't already know, I'm pretty fucking charming," he says.

Brooke starts laughing and she shoves his shoulder. "Obviously."

They go their separate ways, but as Nathan sits in his class, supposedly during 'quiet study', he can't stop thinking about Peyton and wondering how much damage control he's going to have to do. Maybe it's crazy for him to worry so much, since Brooke insisted that Claire talked to Peyton and she's probably over it, or getting over it, but he's got this thing with her. It's like he can't stand the thought of her ever not being happy, and it's unrealistic and probably completely insane, but he's realized that he'll do everything in his power to make sure she's never upset. He wonders if all men feel this way about the women they love. He completely zones out and he isn't paying any attention at all to the work he's supposed to be doing, and he knows that if he doesn't talk to her, he's going to drive himself insane.

He asks if he can go to the washroom, and as soon as he's in the hall, he texts Peyton. It's stupid and pointless, since he knows where she is, and he could just go find her. But his way is going to be more fun. He tells her to meet him in the hallway behind the gym (generally empty when it's not basketball season), and when he doesn't get a response back, he doesn't really know what to think. She might not even have her phone with her. Or she could just not want to see him, and that just hurts too much to think about.

She rounds the corner and sees him standing there, leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed, and she lets herself smile. "Hey," she says.

He opens his eyes quickly and looks over at her, and he has to smile, because she showed up. "Hi."

He reaches for her wrist and pulls her into the boys' locker room, and she looks at him pleadingly, like he's crazy to be doing this. Again.

"Nathan..."

He kisses her hard, making her moan in surprise as he pulls her against him. He thinks that of all the words he could say and assurances he could make, this is probably the most convincing option. And besides, she can't be too mad, because she agreed to meet him in the school's quietest spot.

"You're not mad?" he asks once he's pulled away. Her eyes are still closed, and she's gripping his shirt at his sides, and her cheeks are a little pink.

"I'm not mad," she confirms. She looks up at him, and there's something like disappointment in her eyes, and he kind of hates it. "I just wish she didn't exist."

"I'm sorry."

She laughs, and it's the most perfect sound in the world, he's convinced. "It's not your fault. I don't want to be jealous, but..."

"Whoa. Hang on," he says, looking at her like she's crazy. She toys with his tie, and he places his hand over hers to stop her, because that's just distracting. "You're _jealous_ of her?"

"I'm not like, _jealous_, jealous. I just...These things keep coming up that happened between you and her, and it always just reminds me that she got you first," she says, her voice soft and girlish as she attempts to smile at him.

"But you have me now," he reminds her seriously.

"I know that," she insists. And maybe there's one more insecurity that she wants to bring up, one that she's been thinking for a while, and one that seems like it's a good time to voice. "And...you know...you got...pieces of her that I can't give you, and..."

"Peyton..." She's insane if she thinks he cares about that. He's no saint, obviously, and he doesn't want her to worry about it.

"No. I know. It's stupid."

"Really stupid," he says, and she looks at him with her jaw dropped. "You give me _so much more_ than what Haley _ever_ gave me."

"Explains why you married her," she mumbles. When she looks to Nathan again, he's got his brow raised as if to ask her if she really means what she's saying, and she rolls her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not." He's grinning as he shakes his head, because he knows her, and he knows she meant that little dig.

"Nathan, I didn't mean it like that. I just...I don't know."

"Hey," he says, tipping her chin up with his index finger. "I love you, Peyton. So much more than I ever loved her. That probably makes me a dick to admit that, but..."

She kisses him, pressing her body up against his, because that was really all she wanted to hear, all she needed to hear, and if he keeps talking, she knows she'll want to do more than just kiss him. He wraps his arms around her, because he's just fine with their conversation going this way. And also because he kind of thinks it's awesome that she'll make out with him in the boys' locker room without worrying that there's a freshman gym class taking place (it's very clear she doesn't know that, though).

"Sorry I freaked out," she says, resting her forehead against his.

"You didn't."

"Kinda did," she insists. He just shakes his head and brushes his lips against hers once more. "I just love you a lot."

"Good," he says gruffly. "Let's keep it that way."

She laughs and nods her head. "Okay."

He kisses her again, because she's right there, and he's already been gone from class long enough that he'll probably be in trouble anyway, so he might as well have fun. He's just slipped his hand beneath her shirt at the small of her back when the door swings open and they hear someone's sneakers squeak on the floor. Peyton pulls away and starts laughing, and Nathan tries not to groan in frustration.

"Sorry," the kid mumbles. It's clear he's embarrassed. Nathan and Peyton aren't.

"No worries. It's Landon, right?" Nathan asks.

He's very aware that Peyton's hands are still holding his shirt, and his hands are still on her skin, and neither of them want to move. He's also very aware that he and his friends practically owns this school, and that Peyton's definitely one of the most popular girls. He's the star player, and she's the sexy cheerleader, and it's a perfect cliché.

And he knows exactly how to use that to his advantage.

"Yeah," the guy says. "JV."

"Right," Nathan says, smiling over at the kid. He's pretty sure the guy only came off the bench twice all season. "You've got a good jump shot. Your crossover needs a little work, but you'll get there."

Peyton has no idea why he's giving this kid basketball tips right now, but it's kind of cute, the way Landon seems to be reveling in the fact that Nathan Scott knows about his game and is willing to help him out.

"Thanks."

"Listen. A few of us work out in the gym after school most days. You should come work with us," Nathan says nonchalantly.

"Really?" Landon asks skeptically.

"Yeah, man, for sure. Just...get out of here and don't let anyone come in for another few minutes," Nathan says.

"Nathan!" Peyton cries, still laughing.

"Sure thing," Landon says. He's chuckling as he slips back out the door, very aware that an invitation to play ball with the varsity guys is like a golden ticket.

"You're such a jackass," Peyton laughs, leaning into him a little more as she grasps his tie.

"What?" he asks, faking innocence. The smirk he gives her melts her heart a little bit.

"Shut up and kiss me," she says.

They spend the next 10 minutes making out, right there in the boys' locker room, and he's very aware that he's probably going to get a detention for basically skipping out on his class, but he really doesn't care. Peyton's hands on the skin of his neck when she trails her fingers along his collar and the way she whispers his name when he finds that one place at the hinge of her jaw where she loves to be kissed all make it worth it.

When they step back into the hall, they're laughing and holding hands, and their lips are definitely a little redder than normal, and when they see Landon standing there with Coach Jennings, the boy with a sheepish look on his face and the Coach with his arms crossed and a grin on his lips, they really aren't sure what to think.

"Hey Coach," Nathan says.

"Miss Sawyer, I wasn't aware you were on our basketball team," Coach Jennings says, kinking his brow.

"She's got a killer fade away," Nathan says. "I taught her myself."

Coach Jennings just laughs and shakes his head and excuses Landon, who Nathan smiles at. It's not the kid's fault the Coach is busting them. Jennings pulls out a pad of paper and a pen from his pocket and starts writing something down. Peyton looks at Nathan, wondering what's going on, and Nathan just shrugs his shoulders.

"Peyton, I think the girls were waiting for you so they could finish with the place settings," Coach Jennings says. She nods her head and lets go of Nathan's hand. "And Nathan, thanks for letting me pull you out of class to talk about the banquet. Really put my mind at ease."

Peyton starts laughing and Nathan just smiles and shakes his head. "No problem," he says. He takes the piece of paper, which is an excuse slip to hand to his teacher when he gets back to class, and he smiles at his coach.

"But listen...don't let me catch you again," Coach Jennings says, as serious as he can be (he's a notorious goofball). "Get out of here."

"Thanks, Coach," Peyton says before they start walking away. They wait until Jennings is around the corner and in his office before they start laughing. "You suck!"

"Hey. If I were anyone else, we would have gotten suspended for that," he reminds her seriously. "You're just lucky you're dating the star player." She nods and smiles at him, but she doesn't say anything as she starts walking down the hall, and he can tell there's something she's not saying. They come to the junction in the hallway where he has to go one way, and she has to go the other, and they stand there together, both clearly reluctant to say goodbye. "I gotta go. I'll see you tonight?"

"Seeya," she says. He leans down and kisses her quickly, and she turns to walk away. He smacks her behind as she walks away, and when she spins around and looks at him with her jaw dropped, he just shrugs his shoulders and winks at her. "Thin ice, Nathan."

"You love me."

She can't say anything. She just rolls her eyes and turns around again and he goes back to class.

----

"Peyton! Come on. We're going to be late!" Larry calls up the stairs. For the third time. His daughter is never all that quick to get dressed and ready for events, but he knows that this one, for her, is far more important than any of the ones she's ever gone to for him.

"Two minutes!"

"You said that five minutes ago!" He laughs and shakes his head, because he knows that she's going to look incredible in the dress she bought using his credit card.

He waits by the door and just as he's about to yell at her again, she starts down the stairs with her shoes in her hands, rushing towards the door with an apologetic look on her face. He just shakes his head at her - they both know her mother used to do the same thing - and grabs his keys. He watches her grab her wallet from her bag to drop it into the clutch she's carrying for the night, and then she shoots him a look as soon as her hand hits the doorknob.

"Dad! We're going to be late," she says seriously. He doesn't know what to say, but when he looks to the black heels in her hand, she rolls her eyes. "I'll put them on in the car."

Mitch, Larry's driver, winks at Peyton as she steps into the car, and when they're on their way to the school, after watching her check her hair for the hundredth time, Larry tells her she looks beautiful and she needs to relax. She reminds him that this is a big night for Nathan, and for her art, and he just nods his head. She's been telling him that for weeks. He watches her slip her shoes on and smooth out the fabric of her dress, and he raises his brow.

"What?" she asks.

"How much did this little outfit cost me?"

"Not as much as it could have," she insists, looking at him pointedly. They both laugh and as the car comes to a stop, he leans over and kisses her temple. "And besides, you don't have to pay for a prom dress, so you should be thankful."

"Right. Because you won't find another way to spend that money?" he says jokingly. They both know that she doesn't go without anything, but she's certainly not frivolous. She gets what she wants, but she doesn't take advantage of the fact that her dad is so well off. That's not how she was raised.

Larry steps inside, but Nathan is walking down the hall with Aaron, and he just smiles and shakes his head when he sees Peyton. She's wearing a one-shoulder red dress that's form-fitting and cut just above the knee. The black heels she's wearing only make her legs look even better (not that they need the help), and her hair is curled even more than usual and half pulled up in a silver clip. Basically? She looks fucking incredible, and the way she's looking at him tells him that she has no idea just how damn good she looks. Aaron just pats him on the back and smiles at Peyton as he walks towards his own girlfriend, who's just stepped through the door.

"OK, this dress..." Nathan says, before realizing he doesn't have words. That, and his eyes are fixed on her painted red lips and he suddenly really doesn't care about this night. At all. "Damn, girl."

"Thanks, I think," she says with a laugh.

She watches as he looks her up and down again, and she can feel her cheeks burning a little bit. It's weird, she thinks, crazy even, that he still makes her feel like this sometimes. He can look at her after everything he's seen her in - couture gowns to school uniforms to sweatpants or nothing at all - and make her blush. Because no matter what she's wearing, there's always a little something in his eyes that looks a bit like awe or wonder or something, and she definitely loves that.

"You're welcome," he says. He kisses her gently, and she laughs a little at the lipstick that smudges on his lips. She reaches up to wipe it away and he takes her hand in his so they can walk into the banquet hall.

He almost can't believe the amount of effort and hype goes into the basketball banquet at Oak Lake. It really shouldn't surprise him, since everything's a little more extreme here, especially when it comes to ball, but he didn't expect to see media and photographers there, as well as just about every teacher, Oak Lake dignitaries, the parents of every player on the basketball team, and the parents of all the cheerleaders. It's kind of a big deal.

He takes his place next to Peyton, and they sit at a table with all their friends, all 10 of them (Duncan is home for the summer, and Claire is very happy to have a date for once). They eat a meal that's way better than he expected it to be, and they all laugh when they refill their glasses with sparkling cider, and Brooke says she tried to steal some champagne, but she got caught red handed by Coach Jennings, and when Peyton and Nathan start laughing, everyone looks at them like they're crazy, but they don't explain themselves. The look they share is proof enough to everyone at the table that it's really nothing they want to know anyway.

Nathan is announced as MVP, which his coach had told him the week before he was 'winning', and as cocky as it makes him sound, he wasn't really surprised. He gets up and walks to the podium just as Coach Jennings pulls the dark green sheet off a painting he hadn't even noticed sitting there. He sees it - a really damn good painting of himself - and he shakes his head a little. He looks over at Peyton, and she's doing that adorable lip biting thing she does when she's nervous, and he can only smile at her. He obviously knows it's her work, and he's kind of blown away.

He steps in front of the microphone and toys with his tie in that manly/nervous way he always saw his dad do - his dad who's sitting at a table with his mom, Larry, and Robbie, Aaron and Matt's parents - and he places his hand on the trophy that's got his name and jersey number on it.

"I don't really give a lot of speeches, so you'll have to bear with me," he says, and for some reason everyone laughs. He wonders how much everyone reveres him before realizing that's an assy thing to think. "I just want to thank my coaches. Coach Jennings here, and Coach Whitey Durham at Tree Hill High. And all my teammates over the years, especially these guys who let me come along for the ride when they won the state championship." Everyone laughs again, because not only did he lead the team, but he's humble enough that he actually believes the words he's saying. "Thanks to my mom and dad, and to my brother. And I also want to say thank you to Congressman Sawyer, and Peyton, for all their support this year." He glances at her, and she looks like she's surprised he even mentioned her. "Thank you."

He walks back to the table to a chorus of applause, and Peyton kisses him quickly, though she's very aware that everyone in the room is looking at them. She kind of likes it that way. She thinks he does too.

"So that was all the secrecy," he says quietly.

"Not...all of it," she says. She scrunches her nose a little bit, and he looks at her questioningly, but Coach Jennings steps back up to the microphone and his attention is stolen.

Coach Jennings explains how they came to commission the artwork, and where it will hang, and he unveils the other two paintings. Everyone in the room applauds, and Peyton stands (upon the coach's insistence) to receive her praise. Since Robbie is the only one out of all their friends who saw or even knew about the project, everyone looks impressed.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Nathan says, shaking his head. It's after the banquet, and most people have gone home. Just the players, their girlfriends, and a few of the parents are still around.

"Surprise?" she says coyly. "I wanted to tell you so bad, but it was this big secret."

"They're amazing, Peyton," he insists seriously. "So amazing."

"Thanks," she whispers. She looks over to where her dad and Nathan's parents are talking with Robbie's mom and dad, and she smiles. She likes that they all get along.

"Wanna stay over?" Nathan asks, draping his arm over the back of her chair.

She just nods her head and smiles, then stands up from her seat. No one misses the way Nathan unabashedly looks her up and down, and the guys start laughing, but he just shrugs his shoulders. Brooke makes a comment about Peyton's dress, and Nathan's a little speechless when Peyton starts walking away (_damn_, she looks good from behind). Robbie pats him on the back, and Nathan stands, says his goodbyes and follows his girl. She's standing with Larry, Dan and Deb now, and she smiles as she tells her dad that she's going with Nathan.

Dan and Deb make a bit of a fuss, saying they didn't realize how talented Peyton is, and she blushes at the compliments and it makes Nathan shake his head. He has no idea how she doesn't know how good she is. She hugs both Dan and Deb as Nathan says goodbye to Larry, then she kisses her dad's cheek as Nathan says his own goodbyes.

He places his hand on the small of her back as they walk away, and he hears his dad say something about how incredible Peyton is, and he really can't argue with that at all. She _is_ incredible, and she's all his, and when they get to his car, he pulls her in for a kiss that's sweet and delicate, but full of all the things he's not eloquent enough to say.

"You know how much I love you, right?" he asks. She smiles and he rests his hands on her hips.

"I think so," she says, and he shakes his head. "I love you too." She leans up to kiss him and he opens the car door for her, but before she gets in, she turns back to him again. "This was your night, Nathan." He looks a little confused, but nods anyway. "And the night isn't over."

He smiles and basically pushes her into the car as she laughs. He's decided he really likes the colour red.

----

Matt and Ginny are notably absent from school one day, and as soon as they know, Nathan and Peyton share a look, wondering if what they think might be going on is really going on. Peyton told Nathan about those tests and the results, and they both had kind of said something about being worried that there wasn't a firm, unanimous result. But that was weeks ago, and they kind of dropped the issue, because Ginny and Matt are clearly back on the right track. Now that they're both skipping classes, Peyton wonders if there's more to it than just two seniors wanting to ditch.

When they get to Nathan's place after school, Peyton decides to make dinner after she's changed into her jeans and tee shirt, and Nathan works on some homework at the counter. There's some music playing, but they're in the same space, doing two completely different tasks, and not talking to one another, and she thinks that if this is what next year is going to be like, she really, really can't wait.

There's a knock at the door, then Matt and Ginny walk in, hand in hand and looking...different. Peyton can't put her finger on what it is, but there's just something different. Maybe she already knows.

"What's up?" Nathan asks. Matt lets Ginny take the seat next to Nathan, and he stands behind her.

"We have news," Ginny says quietly before clearing her throat, almost like she's trying to regain her confidence. Peyton stops what she's doing and stands so just the counter is separating them.

"OK," Peyton says encouragingly.

Ginny takes a deep breath and Matt rubs her shoulder. "I'm pregnant."

Nathan looks between Matt and Ginny, and they both look oddly at ease. Ginny's a little less crazy-confident than usual, and Matt's not making jokes or making light of the situation, and Nathan knows that both of those things are totally appropriate, given the circumstances.

"It's fine. It's..._good_," Matt insists, smiling at Ginny when she looks up at him. "We spent today with our parents, and we're...we're actually all pretty excited."

Peyton smiles, and when Nathan looks at her, he thinks he sees tears in her eyes. "Seriously?" she asks. Ginny nods, and Peyton runs around the counter to throw her arms around her friend. "Congratulations."

Nathan shakes Matt's hand and they share a hug, then Peyton and Matt embrace while Nathan congratulates Ginny. "Who else knows?" he asks. He laughs softly and pulls Peyton into his side when he sees her wiping her tears.

"No one," Ginny says. "You guys knew the situation, so we wanted to tell you first. And I'll probably just be showing by the time we graduate, so...it's...good bad timing."

"Good bad timing," Peyton says quietly. "God...pregnant. That's...Wow."

"What?" Ginny asks. She knows what Peyton's saying, or rather, what she's not saying. It's big. It's huge. Life-altering.

"What are you gonna do?" Peyton asks. She's met with three sets of eyes, all looking at her in confusion. "I mean, obviously you're staying together, but..."

"We're going to just be together. I mean, who gets married in high school?" Matt asks with a laugh. Then he starts laughing even harder when Nathan rolls his eyes. Peyton just leans over and kisses his cheek and runs her hand through his hair. "I just mean..."

"I get it," Nathan interjects. "But it's good that you're not just making a rash decision."

"Yeah, _that_ would be the irresponsible part," Ginny jokes. "Not the getting pregnant at 18 part."

They all laugh and Peyton starts crying again, which makes Ginny start to cry, and Nathan and Matt just shake their heads and console their girls. They talk for a while longer about the baby and their parents' reactions and how they plan to juggle school and Ginny's pregnancy, Matt's games and then the baby. It all sounds daunting, but for every question Nathan or Peyton asks, Ginny or Matt has an answer. They aren't taking this lightly, nor should they, and they're going to make this work. Ginny explains that they've known for well over a week, but they needed time to figure everything out. They say they plan to tell their close circle of friends, but no one else, not even the headmaster or any teachers.

They leave after a while, and Peyton collapses into Nathan's embrace on the sofa. They haven't had dinner, and they haven't done their homework, but that all seems really insignificant.

He can tell she's happy, but uneasy and stressing a little bit over things that are out of their control. She loves their friends, and she's no doubt wondering how she's going to help with everything. Nathan decides he wants to break the tension a little bit.

"We _better_ be Godparents."

She laughs and leans over to kiss him, and when she says she loves him, it feels a lot heavier than usual. They're growing up and their friends are having a baby, and high school is almost over.

And yeah, she's thinking they would make pretty damn good Godparents.

**----**

**A/N:** There'll be one more chapter, then an epilogue.


	35. Chapter 35

Nathan is at his apartment one day, listening to Jay-Z a little too loudly and playing NBA 2K9 on his PS2. He hasn't done this in a while. Between his school work, practicing, and spending time with Peyton and their friends, he hasn't had a ton of time to just loaf around like this. It's kind of nice. The girls are off shopping - why, he's not sure - and Matt's working. Robbie's parents took him to Atlanta to visit family for the weekend. It's quiet, and Nathan has no plans, and he honestly can't remember the last time that happened.

He's (thankfully) just quit rapping along embarrassingly badly with HOV when the door swings open and Aaron walks in. He smiles at Nathan and the obvious teenage boy cliché Saturday afternoon Nathan is enjoying. Nathan turns down the stereo and pauses his game as Aaron sits down next to him.

"What's up?" Nathan asks.

"Nothing, really," Aaron says, shrugging his shoulders. "Weird to spend a Saturday without the girls."

"I know," Nathan says. "Not that I really mind the doing nothing thing."

"I slept until noon," Aaron admits, making them both laugh. "So actually, I was...I thought maybe you could give me some advice."

"Oh. Yeah. I mean, I can try," Nathan says. He's not sure how insightful he is, but he'll give it a shot, because he knows how hard it can be for guys to admit that they need help.

"I was just...OK, this is kind of a...It has to stay between us."

"Of course, Aaron. Whatever you say doesn't leave this room."

Aaron nods and shifts in his seat a little bit. "I don't know if you're even the right person to talk to but, Catherine, I mean, she's...she wants to wait for..."

"I actually kind of know that already," Nathan says. He knows Aaron isn't exactly comfortable, so he won't make the guy spell it out. "Peyton told me once. In passing."

"Right. Well, it's kind of a big deal."

"Always is, isn't it?" Nathan says seriously. He's not joking at all, and he hopes Aaron recognizes it.

"Yeah," Aaron admits. "And after everything with Ginny and Matt, it seems she's a little more...on edge. And honestly, it's not like I'm...you know, wanting to rush or anything, but...Dude, how the hell am I supposed to deal with this?"

Nathan laughs just softly. So maybe he does know how to help with this issue. He suspects Aaron doesn't know that. He also knows that Aaron isn't quite as 'all about sex' as a lot of (most) guys their age. He can still, however, understand the guy wanting some tips on how to act in that situation. He kind of wishes he'd had someone to give him some pointers.

"When I was dating Haley, she was...in the same boat," Nathan explains. Aaron's face changes a little bit and Nathan laughs. "And no, that's not why I married her." They both laugh a little harder, and Nathan loves that the guys don't judge him on his past mistakes. "It's not easy, but you just have to talk about it."

"Yeah," Aaron says softly. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"I _am_ right." Aaron laughs and shakes his head. "Look, I just know from experience that if you don't talk about it, it'll be a problem."

"Thanks, Nathan."

"No worries," Nathan says nonchalantly. "You know I'm not just a pretty face." Aaron scoffs at the statement. They're all used to Nathan's sense of humour by now. "Come on. Let's play."

They spend the rest of their afternoon laughing together on Nathan's sofa and playing video games until they agree that they're equally as good as one another. When Peyton asks Nathan what he did that day, he tells her he just hung out with Aaron, and he doesn't say anything about that conversation. He made a promise to his friend, and he won't break it. And he knows that if anyone understands that kind of trust between friends, it's Peyton.

----

Peyton won't tell Nathan anything about her prom dress. None of the girls will tell any of the guys about their prom dresses. The guys aren't exactly thrilled. They've tried everything, from wanting to know so they can match their ties (or whatever), or get proper corsages. The girls say that matching ties would be geeky and corsages are tacky. All Nathan has seen are the shoes Peyton bought that day she went shopping with all the girls. They're silver (hot as hell) and strappy. That doesn't tell him much, since she insists they 'go with everything'.

So the guys decide that they need to start upping their efforts. They figure that if Brooke is working on five custom dresses, she can't really be hiding them in her apartment. Robbie is scared to check, insisting that she's threatened him with terrifying means, and he can't risk it. Apparently, he hasn't set foot in her apartment in two weeks.

So they settle it another way.

"Not it!" Aaron shouts. Matt is soon after.

Nathan loses. Nathan has to face the impending wrath of Brooke.

He walks up to her apartment and knocks at the door. He's holding a latté, extra foam, just the way she likes it, and he thinks that it can't hurt to butter her up a little bit. When she opens the door, he notices immediately that not only are there no dresses whatsoever within eyesight, but the place is spotless. He can't even see a single scrap of fabric. Not one. He thinks this mission might be a bit of a fail.

"What's up?" Brooke asks. She pulls the cup from his hand before he even tells her it's for her, and he laughs.

"Nothing. Just thought you might want to hang out," he says with a shrug of his shoulder.

She kinks her brow and eyes him for a moment, then smiles. "Right. You _know_ I won't show you anything."

"Show me what?" he asks, hoping his innocence is convincing.

"You guys have been fishing for tips for weeks, and we're not going to cave," Brooke states firmly, putting one hand on her hip.

"We just want hints. Aren't girls supposed to get all excited about this shit and tell their boyfriends everything?" he inquires. He sits on the sofa and Brooke laughs as she sits next to him. "I'm sure all the other girls in school are annoying the hell out their boyfriends talking about dresses."

"You're practically begging right now."

"Hey, I'm not above it," he says, making her laugh again.

"Let me ask you," she starts, turning to him a little more and tucking her leg beneath her. "What colour...I mean if you had to pick, would you want Peyton to wear."

"This is a trick!" he proclaims. "Because if I give you the wrong answer, you'll tell her, and I'll look like a dick and she'll think I don't like the dress."

"What if I promise not to tell her?"

"Are you promising?" he asks seriously.

"Cross my heart," she says, marking an 'x' over her chest.

"If I had to choose," he starts, looking over at her dramatically, "black."

Brooke's a bit of an actress. Well, not really, but she knows how to keep a straight face when she lies. And it's not really a lie she's about to tell. She's just going to...mislead him a little bit. Throw him off the path and make sure she doesn't give anything away. The girls decided not to tell the guys for a reason, and as much fun as Brooke knows it's going to be to surprise them, it's also definitely killing her every time one of the guys asks a question and she can't brag about how amazing her designs are.

"Really?"

"What? Is that wrong?" he asks worriedly.

"No!" she laughs. "There's no wrong answer."

He sighs and nods his head. "Besides, you're all going to look amazing."

"I know that," she says. He rolls his eyes and smiles at her.

"How could you not? Beautiful girls in dresses designed by Brooke Davis? Can't go wrong."

She looks at him, narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips. She knows what he's trying to do. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Scott."

They both know he's definitely charming enough to get what he wants. Always was.

"OK, look. I trust that they'll be great, but can you at least let on that I tried to get the information from you?" he asks. Brooke laughs and nods her head.

They spend the rest of the evening watching lame television shows and talking, until Claire walks in and yells at Nathan for snooping. Duncan is with her, and he just shakes his head. Nathan doesn't know the guy very well yet, but in the few conversations they've had without the girls within earshot, he knows Duncan is just as eager to see his girlfriend's dress as everyone else is. But Nathan listens as Claire explains that all the surprise is all for the boys' own good, and it'll make everything more fun, and Nathan doesn't argue because frankly, he's a little afraid of these two girls when they set their minds to something.

He leaves around 10:00 after hanging out with his friends, and he's not even home yet before Peyton calls him and tells him to stop snooping for info.

----

He checks his watch again as he waits for her to come down the stairs. He's got the keys to her dad's car in his hand and the confirmation for their hotel reservation in the pocket of his pants. And he's starving. He kind of just wants to get to prom, eat, have a couple dances, then head to their hotel room. And that was kind of the plan he and Peyton had agreed upon.

But she's taking _forever_ to get ready.

Larry's watching a baseball game in the living room, and Nathan's had enough of standing around, so he decides to sit down. It's not that he finds his tux uncomfortable - it's well cut, so it doesn't really bother him - but he's just not crazy about the waiting.

"Honestly," he says as he sits down next to Larry. "What is so hard about putting on a dress?"

Larry chuckles and takes a sip of his beer. "It's not the dress that takes the time, Nate. It's everything else. They never put the dress on until the last second."

"Seriously?"

"Oh yeah," Larry insists. "Make up, hair, jewelry, all that." Nathan shakes his head and lets out a breath. "Her mother used to do the same thing. I'd be ready and waiting, and she'd be taking her time. Peyton always used to watch her get ready, too. That's probably who she learned it all from."

They're both quiet, because Nathan thinks that's actually kind of sweet, and neither of them wants to take away from the fact that Peyton so obviously mimics her mother sometimes. So the two of them sit there, talking sports and whatever else until Peyton walks down the stairs. She smiles to herself over her dad sitting there in jeans and a Duke tee shirt (of course) and her boyfriend in his tux, both of them yelling at Jeter to head for home.

"Do I have to wait until the 7th inning stretch?" she teases, calling their attention to her.

And steal their attention she does.

It's all perfect. From the dress to the shoes (and legs), to the messy, curly updo, to the perfectly applied makeup. The only jewelry she's wearing are diamond earrings from her dad and those pearls from Nathan. She's holding a simple silver clutch and looking like she really wants to fast forward the compliments she knows they're about to shower her with.

Neither man says anything. Larry saw the dress a couple days before when she finally got it home, and he doesn't want to step on toes and ruin the little moment he knows the 'kids' need to have. And Nathan can't say anything because he's realizing for the millionth time just how amazingly hot his girl is.

"So, you like the dress, then?" she asks, putting her hand on her hip. His blood runs a little warmer when she does.

"Hell yes," he says, making them all laugh. "You look...so incredible."

"Thank you," she says quietly. He leans down to kiss her and rests his hand on her hip, and he takes a deep breath. "OK, can we just go, because I took forever and..."

"Hang on now," Larry says. "I feel like I should take pictures or something."

"Oh God. Dad. Please..."

"Stay right here."

Larry leaves the room, and as soon as he's out of sight, Peyton grabs the lapels of Nathan's jacket and pulls him into a kiss that has him surprised and turned on and caring even less about the prom than he did before. Of course, he knows it'll be fun, and it's one of their last big events before they all go away, but with her pressed up against him that way, her heels making them exactly the same height, he's thinking that hotel room is sounding pretty damn perfect right now.

When Larry walks back into the room, Nathan's large hand is on the small of Peyton's back, holding her close to him, and she's smiling against his lips because this is a damn good kiss, and she knows she's going to have to reapply her lipstick. Larry clears his throat loudly and Nathan brushes his lips against Peyton's one last time.

"Sorry," Nathan says, peering over Peyton's shoulder at her dad.

The man just laughs and shakes his head. After all, it's not like he hasn't seen them kissing before. It's not something he necessarily enjoys witnessing, but he's not naive enough to think that they aren't going to do it anyway. So he poses them for pictures, and then Peyton insists that she's got some better places for them to be photographed, and Nathan and Larry laugh and ask her what happened to not wanting her picture taken at all. She just tells them both to shut up and smile.

Their overnight bags are already in the car, so when they say goodbye, Larry kisses Peyton's cheek and tells her to have a good time, and he shakes Nathan's hand, tells him to drive safely, and then they're out the door. Peyton won't let him put the top down, and he understands it, but he still complains, because he's probably supposed to. He holds her hand all the way to the hotel where their prom is being held, and he helps her out of the car when they arrive.

Everyone's waiting for them outside, and the girls all smile and hold in their little squeals when they see each other. Nathan just shakes his head as he hands his (well, Larry's) keys to the valet. The girls are already taking photos of one another, so the guys stand aside and let them do their thing.

"You know you look like a total baller driving that car, right?" Matt notes.

"I know," Nathan says. "And I _am_ a total baller." The guys groan and roll their eyes, but they can't argue. "How hot are our girls?"

"It oughta be illegal," Robbie says, looking over at Brooke, who's laughing at something or another. "Let's do this, alright? Because...Prom is so not for dudes."

"It won't be so bad," Aaron insists. "Look who we get to stare at all night."

None of the guys can argue. They all exchange looks, then start walking towards their girls. They walk through the doors to the 'ballroom' like they're some sort of exclusive club, and if they weren't all such well-rounded, polite people, that's probably how their classmates would see them. Sure, they're the 'popular kids', the jocks and the cheerleaders, but they're genuinely nice to pretty much everyone because they have no reason not to be.

They find their table and drop their things, and they're given mocktails and sparkling cider or sodas, and they mingle a little bit, but inevitably, Nathan and Peyton end up speaking to only one another. They sit close together at their table, flirting dangerously, and she reminds him that they haven't even had dinner yet.

"It's...you know how hot you look though, right?" he asks seriously. "So beautiful."

"Thanks. And honestly, if you just wore a tux all the time, I would be just fine with that." He laughs and shakes his head and takes her hand in his. "I can't believe we're at our prom."

"How come?"

"This year has just been so crazy, you know? With you, and Brooke coming here, and everything with my art and the team. Duke." He smiles and leans forward to kiss her, because it has been a damn good year. "Matt and Ginny," she adds quietly. "It's just...It's been kind of insane."

"In a good way," he says, smirking over at her. She laughs and nods her head.

"Yes, in a good way."

The rest of their friends come back to the table, and Nathan winks at Peyton and she blows him a kiss. They all sit and talk while their dinner is served, and they laugh, but are completely understanding and accommodating when Ginny realizes that she hates carrots and needs them taken off her plate immediately. The same goes for Claire and Matt, who are sitting on either side of her; she can't stand to see the vegetables sitting so close to her. Matt dotes on her, complying with her needs, and he rubs her back soothingly when she apologizes for being difficult. When dessert arrives, Peyton finishes hers - a tiny portion of creme brulé - and looks over at Nathan cutely. He chuckles and shakes his head and slides his plate over to her, and she kisses his cheek as a thank you. The girl has a sweet tooth, that's for certain. Peyton notices the way Duncan and Claire are definitely off in their own little world, and she's never been more convinced that they're about two steps away from getting married. Everyone just looks _happy_. Ridiculously so. And it's definitely a good thing.

The music is turned up a little louder, and after a while, one of Peyton's favourite songs comes on, and Nathan stands and extends his hand to her. She smiles up at him, absolutely loving that he knows she wants to dance, and they make their way to the floor, not caring in the slightest that there's hardly anyone else dancing.

"Remember the last time we danced together?" she asks.

"Of course," he says quietly. "And I have a framed painting to remind me." She blushes and looks down, but he kisses her forehead and pulls her closer. "I can't believe how long ago that was."

"I know. Feels like forever."

"You'll make fun of me if I say that it was just the start of forever, won't you?"

"Absolutely," she says, making them both laugh.

She kisses him, because even if he's a bit cheesy sometimes, she loves absolutely everything about him. His hand runs over that strand of pearls and she smiles against his lips, and when she pulls away from him, she has to take a deep breath. She never in a million years thought this kind of guy would be her kind of guy, but as she thinks back on their year (she's been doing a lot of that lately) she realizes they were definitely going to get together, no matter how rocky that started off. It was instant, the attraction, and she hadn't quite embraced or admitted that right away, but inevitably, she kept going back for more, and he kept giving more. She remembers the first time she saw him, that first day he showed up at school, and looking back, she honestly thinks they were practically a couple since that first 'hello'.

"So I have something to tell you," he says.

Her heart sinks. He looks...remorseful or something, and she's not sure what to think of it. She knows that it can't be anything bad, though, because if it were, he certainly wouldn't be telling her at her prom or in a roomful of people.

"OK," she says quietly, looking up at him.

"My dad gave me something," he tells her. She only grows more confused. "And...I mean, it's mine, but it's kind of...ours, because we're together, and it's..."

"Nathan," she says pleadingly. "Just tell me."

He smiles and lets out a deep breath, and she runs her hand through the hair at the back of his neck, putting him at ease immediately. "He gave me the beach house."

She stops moving completely and looks at him in absolute shock. "_What_?"

"As a graduation gift. He said...He wants me to have it, and...It's mine. _Ours_."

"He just..._gave_ you a house," she says doubtfully, and Nathan just shrugs his shoulder and nods his head. "He _gave you a house_?"

"No matter how many times you say it, it'll still be true," he teases.

"When? Why would he do that? And...when can we move in?" she asks, laughing at that last part as they resume moving to the music.

"He mentioned it to me before March break. I didn't really think he was serious, but...He is. I signed the papers last weekend when we visited."

"You are so _sneaky_!" she cries, smiling as she swats his shoulder.

"And if you want to spend the summer there..."

"You're totally serious."

"Yes," he laughs. "Why would I joke?"

"I don't know!" she says. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around Dan _giving_ you a piece of beach front property!"

"It's crazy, right?"

"Um..._yes_," she insists. She looks up at him with mischief in her eyes. "Is it wrong that you're definitely more attractive to me now?"

"You're hilarious," he says, deadpan. She laughs and kisses him, just because she can.

"Maybe we could spend _part_ of our summer there," she says.

"Whatever you want, babe."

She kisses him hard, because she knows he means what he says, and he means it in regards to everything, not just their summer plans. They both know their summer is going to be busy, what with his training schedule, trying to find a place to live in Durham, furnishing said place to live, etc. She knows that they're in a really unique position, since they actually have the means (well, their parents do) to buy a nice place, or rent a nice place for the entire four years they'll be at Duke. They haven't really talked seriously about any of that, but they will, she knows. Right now, she's trying to enjoy her evening (knowing there's a full weekend of the two of them staying in a hotel room). She's trying not to think about finals and graduation and college. She just wants to enjoy the moment with her boyfriend.

It surprises only Matt and Ginny that they're named prom king and queen. Ginny cries (hormones, she says quietly, and her close friends know it might be true), and Matt shakes his head and asks who the hell would vote for him. But they make their way to the stage and accept the 'crowns' they're given, and Matt leads Ginny to the dance floor, and the couple looks at each other adoringly, the emerald ring on her left hand complimenting the green of her dress. Their friends watch as Matt's hand subtly brushes Ginny's stomach, and no one else would think anything of it. Peyton notices, shares looks with the other girls, then wraps her arms around Nathan's waist. He drops a kiss to her hair, and then as soon as the song is over, they look at each other, and when they speak, their words overlap.

"Can we go?" he asks at the same moment she says, "let's get out of here."

----

Graduation comes and goes far faster than any of them would have guessed or liked. The girls all cry like they don't live in the same town and won't inevitably see each other almost every day until they all leave for their schools. Dan and Deb sit next to Larry in the crowd, both absurdly proud of the kids who walk onto the stage one after the other.

Larry hosts a 'gathering' after the graduation ceremony, and all Peyton and Nathan's friends and their parents enjoy cocktails in the Sawyers' exquisitely manicured backyard. Nathan stands with a glass of beer in his hand as he watches Peyton and Brooke laughing at something or another, and he can't keep himself from smiling at the sight of her so happy. Dan comes over and the two of them talk, really, for the first time that day, and Dan reiterates how happy he is for Nathan, and Nathan knows that his father isn't exaggerating or putting on a show at all. Dan's changed a lot in the last year, and Nathan doesn't know why, but he's not about to question it. He's just thankful. The Scott men, maybe all four of them, are proof that people can change.

Everyone seems to gasp collectively when they see Duncan get down on one knee in front of Claire, right in the middle of the lawn. Peyton's eyes shoot over to meet Nathan's, and he just shakes his head. He knows she's wordlessly asking if he knew this was going to happen. He certainly didn't. By the looks of it, the only people who knew were Duncan, and Claire's parents, who are looking on with unsurprised smiles on their faces. He no doubt asked their permission. Claire, of course, says yes.

Peyton rushes over to Nathan and sets down her champagne glass so she can throw her arms around him. He's not entirely sure why she's doing it, but he's not about to complain. She whispers, "I'm so happy," into his ear, and he kisses her temple before she pulls away and tells him she has to go look at the ring. He follows close behind her and he's shaking his head, but he's really happy, too.

----

Larry buys them a house in Durham. It has three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a gorgeous kitchen and a finished basement. It's close to school, and it's generally pretty perfect. Nathan, at first, is reluctant to accept Larry's 'gift'. He doesn't think it's fair that he take advantage of the fact that he's Peyton's boyfriend by living rent free for four years. Peyton insists that it's not like that, but Nathan isn't convinced. He seeks Larry out in his office one day, and Peyton's out with the girls, so Larry's definitely surprised to see Nathan walk into his home office.

"Nathan. What are you doing here?"

"I uh...I just wanted to talk to you about this whole house thing," Nathan says as he sits in one of the chairs across from Larry's desk. "I really appreciate that you're willing to do this, but...I don't know that I feel comfortable with..."

"Nathan," Larry interrupts. "First of all, don't be crazy. Second of all, this is coming from the kid who owns oceanfront property that he's sharing with my daughter?"

"It's not the same," Nathan insists. He's smiling, because it's obvious that Larry isn't even thinking twice about Nathan living in that house with Peyton. And really, they both probably know that there's no arguing with Larry when he puts his mind to something.

"Look at it this way. Real estate is always a good investment. I'll sell the place in four years for more than I bought it for, and everyone wins."

Nathan smiles, but rolls his eyes. "I just feel like...I don't know. I should pay rent, or...something."

"Just take care of our girl," Larry says. Their eyes lock and there's recognition there between them. "That's all I ask."

Nathan takes a deep breath and nods his head, and Larry smiles back at him. Neither man says anything else, Nathan just leaves the office and heads to Peyton's room. When she gets home, she asks him what he's doing there and why he didn't tell her he was coming over. He doesn't say anything about his conversation with her dad. He just suggests they go to the beach house for a few days, and then to Durham after that to start looking for furniture. She smiles and throws her arms around him, because until now, he's been noncommittal about going to that house at all.

----

They hold hands as she turns the key in the lock. This is their first time being here alone, and he can't really argue that it's just a little bit exciting. OK, a lot exciting. This is where they're going to live for the next four years. They need furniture and...well, everything, but it already feels like a home, and they both know how crazy that probably is. They're going to bring a bunch of the furniture from Nathan's apartment to the new place when his lease is up at the end of the summer. They've already bought a new bedroom set, figuring they'd need that first, and when they walk upstairs, they realize that while the furniture has arrived, none of it is assembled.

Nathan gets to work while Peyton goes out to buy some groceries like they'd planned. She kisses him and calls him 'babe' and it's weird, maybe, but everything feels different when he realizes that she's coming home to him in a little bit. Their home. She'll go out and do what she has to do, and he'll be there when she gets back. She'll walk through the door and call out his name, and she'll throw her arms around him when she sees that he's got the bed all assembled and ready for them to sleep in.

And that's exactly what she does. She comes in and shouts, "Honey, I'm home!"

"Geek!" he calls back to her. He can hear her coming up the stairs just as he's putting the last pillow on their bed.

She comes into the room and her eyes go wide when she sees that he's already done with, really, the only piece of furniture that they care about at the moment. He's assembled made the bed and positioned it exactly where she told him she wanted it, and she wraps her arms around him excitedly. They admire their large master bedroom for a moment.

Larry certainly knew what he was doing when he found the place. They've already talked about the other bedrooms. One will be a spare, and one will be an office. The basement will hold Nathan's weights and workout equipment, and there's a little room down there for Peyton to use as a studio.

Peyton kisses Nathan and tells him that she'll fix them some dinner, and they spend the rest of their night sitting on the living room floor, sipping wine she 'stole' from her dad (though he knew she was taking it) and talking, laughing at how crazy it is that they're finally here, though they aren't officially going to be living there for another month or so. They fall asleep together in the center of the bed, and when they wake up in the morning, she says, for the hundredth or so time, that she's really going to love living with him.

They spend the whole day shopping for furniture, and they're both tired and cranky and irritable when they get back to the house, and they have their first argument in the place over where they're going to put what, and Nathan ends up parking himself on the sofa and glaring at her as she stands in the center of the living room with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.

It takes them all of about 30 seconds to realize how stupid this fight is, then they're both laughing as she sits herself down on his lap and he kisses her. They both apologize, and as they make their way to their bedroom, Nathan brings up a very good point.

"At least we got that first fight out of the way."

The devious smirk on her lips and the way her eyelids are drooping seductively tells him they're about to do something else for the first time in that house, too.


	36. Epilogue

**A/N:** Here it is. The epilogue. Thank you guys so, so much for reading and all those great reviews!!

**----**

Peyton stands at the counter in the kitchen of a house that feels far too big half the time. It's beautiful, and she loves it, but at least once a day, on most days, she feels like it's just huge and empty. It feels like a home, her home, but there are times when she knows there's something missing, and she knows exactly what it is.

She licks the chocolate from her finger as she listens to the DJ on the radio announce a song that she loves, and she smiles. She can remember the first time she forced Nathan to listen to that song. They were in her bedroom at her dad's place and he admitted to never really liking The Police. She had felt personally offended, and he'd laughed at the look on her face, and she told him she was going to give him a crash course in 'Sting's awesomeness'. And she did. By the end of the day, he was smiling as she insisted she make a mix of her favourite Police songs. Can't Stand Losing You was the first song on that CD. She doesn't know how she remembers it, but she does.

Her thoughts are interrupted, but she's still smiling when she turns around.

"Can I see daddy today?" her five-year-old son asks.

"No baby, you can't see daddy today," she says, she starts moving around the kitchen, trying to get his lunch prepared and bake some treats.

"How come?" he asks.

"Because daddy's not around right now, is he?" she asks, and he scowls at her in that way he always does when someone tells him no.

Nathan has the same scowl.

"When _can_ I see him?"

"Ben, you know the answer. The calendar is on the fridge," she says, trying not to get upset with his constant questioning. It's just hard for her to talk about. She knows how hard it must be for him.

"I just miss him, mommy," he tells her.

She stops what she's doing and walks over to where he sits at the counter with his cup of juice in front of him. She runs her hand through his hair and leans down so she's eye level with him, and she smiles at the sight of those blue eyes that are so much like his father's.

"I know, Bean," she says softly, and they both smirk a little at that nickname she has for him. "Two more days, then you can spend time with your daddy. Can you come help me with this? I need you to stir, OK?"

"I hate stirring."

"Well, if you don't _stir_ the brownies, you can't _eat_ the brownies," she says with a raised eyebrow, and he smiles and clamors off his stool.

"You think daddy likes brownies?" he asks. "I've never seen him eat one."

"Yes, he does," she says simply. "You really miss him today, huh?"

"I always miss him," he tells her, standing on his little kitchen stool and reaching for the wooden spoon.

She never says it, but she always misses him, too.

----

Nathan proposed the Christmas of their senior year at Duke. His proposal was essentially a carbon copy of the way he gave her that other ring. He moved the emerald to her right hand and slipped on the perfect princess cut diamond. And yes, that was just a little bit of an inside joke, since he'd taken to calling her 'princess' more and more often, every time she got her way with him (which was pretty often). It was always sarcastic and generally playful, and she didn't hate that name so much anymore. But the ring was beautiful and perfect, and she told him later - he hadn't known - that her mom's ring was similar. They were married in a little ceremony in the backyard of her father's house the summer after they graduated. It was just his family and her dad, and their closest group of friends. That group of friends hadn't changed since high school.

They all joked with Nathan - he really did receive an inordinate amount of teasing on his own wedding day - about how long he waited to pop the question to the girl they'd all known for years he was going to marry. He just took it all in stride and said that he just wanted to make sure he could give her everything she ever wanted.

They found out she was pregnant only six months after they were married, and while it wasn't exactly planned, they'd been talking about it more and more. They figured it was kind of serendipitous when they realized she was pregnant. When they found out it was a boy, Nathan beamed, and Peyton cried. Larry was thrilled, and Dan and Deb (oddly reunited and remarried) thought it was fantastic.

Ben was born in the middle of August in the middle of a heatwave after just under 10 hours of labour. He had a whole lot of jet black hair, bright blue eyes, and came out screaming. Nathan insisted that the first two traits were all him and the last one was all Peyton.

The truth of it is that Ben is so much like Nathan that it hurts her heart sometimes. Not because he's not like her - he is, in his own little ways - but because those little pieces of Nathan are always around her, even if _he's_ not.

----

She really doesn't want to cry, and she hates that she has to. She just misses him so damn much sometimes. It's hard without him. It's _too_ hard. She misses the little things the most. Like him resting his hand on her thigh as they'd sleep, or laughing at his silly innuendos. She always loved that. She still does.

But she hears his voice in a message he left, a very short one, and she starts tearing up. It's just been too long since they were really together. She doesn't want to blame him for it. She can't, really. She can't at all.

She just wants him back with her and their son.

"Mommy?" Ben says softly from the doorway.

"Hey Bean," she says, wiping her eyes.

"How come you're sad?" he asks.

"Just tired, baby," she says, dismissing his question. "What's wrong?"

"Can I sleep in here with you? My room's too quiet," he says, taking a few little steps towards the bed.

"Of course," she says.

She pulls back the covers and Ben climbs up onto the bed, and she smiles when he snuggles in next to her. She loves this. She absolutely adores this little boy, and she'd do anything for him. Of course she would. She's his mom.

Nathan always insisted that it wasn't healthy for a boy his age to share his parent's bed, but Peyton doesn't care. She loves cuddling in with her son, and if she's being honest, her bedroom was too quiet, too. And Nathan isn't there to say anything about it, so she'll let Ben sleep next to her, and she'll run her hands through his dark hair until she falls asleep, too.

"Mommy?" Ben whispers, like he doesn't want to disturb anyone or anything.

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

She closes her eyes and kisses his hair. No three words will ever mean as much to her as those three words from that little person.

"I love you, too, Ben."

She's used to saying those words to someone else at night too. It's still, even after all this time, hard every time she doesn't get to do it.

----

He comes home to a quiet house, and it's _too_ quiet. It's his own fault, but still. He doesn't like it. He likes to be home, he just wishes it wasn't like this; quiet and cold in the middle of the night. He locks the door behind him and drops his bag, and he runs his hand through his hair and smiles. There are night lights all around, and the house is never really dark. He kind of likes that.

He heads to the kitchen for a bottle of water, and he sees a stack of mail on the counter that he promptly ignores. There's a drawing posted on the front door of the fridge, and Nathan notices when he's taking a sip of his drink.

Three stick figures, a blonde and two brunettes, with a house on one side and a big yellow sun in the sky. There are little patches of grass and birds he knows his son didn't draw - they're too perfect to be Ben's. There's a dog, well, what Nathan assumes is a dog, standing next to the little brown-haired stick figure and Nathan has to laugh. Ben's been asking for a dog for the past six months.

He makes his way upstairs and down the hall, and he hates that everything's so still. Even after all this time, coming home to such a silent house bothers him more than he'll ever let on. He passes Ben's empty room, and he sighs. It kills him that the boy hardly ever sleeps in there.

He walks to the last door on the left, his bedroom, and he stops before he walks through. He knows what's waiting for him on the other side. When he pushes the door open, he leans against the door frame for a moment.

There are his wife and his son, Ben asleep in Peyton's arms with her holding him close to her as they lay in the center of that big king sized bed.

He's missed them _so damn much_.

He loves every second of being a pro ball player. Loves it. Denver is an amazing city and a great organization and his teammates are an awesome group of guys. It doesn't hurt that his old high school teammate, Aaron, plays for the team as well. How that happened, they still don't really know. Nathan went third overall in the draft, and Aaron was chosen in the second round. Denver just reminds him of all those years ago when he and Peyton had quiet little conversations and she said she could see herself living in Colorado. It's not like it was really planned, but he's so glad he can give her this.

But he's just gotten back from a 10-day road trip, and 10 days without his wife and son is just torture. It's his longest trip of the year - he's poured over the schedule to be sure - and he's glad it's over. He hates to be without them. Hates it.

He walks over to the bed and reaches out for Ben, pulling his son into his arms. The boy stirs a little bit, and Nathan holds his finger to his lips when he sees Ben's eyes open. He walks back to Ben's bedroom and lays him in his bed.

"Hey buddy," Nathan says softly.

"Hi daddy."

"You're tired. Go back to sleep," Nathan insists. It's two in the morning, since Nathan and his teammates decided to fly home directly after the game instead of waiting until the next day.

"I'm 'wake," Ben mumbles sleepily.

"Sure you are," Nathan chuckles. He runs his hand over Ben's hair, the same colour as his own, but the boy's eyes stay open. "What is it?"

"We missed you lots."

Nathan's sure his heart breaks. Or maybe gets all full again, just like it does every time he hears something like that. He loves those words. He hates that they have to miss him.

"I missed you too," Nathan says quietly.

"I took care of mommy," Ben says. Nathan smiles. That's his boy.

"Thanks, Ben." He leans over and kisses the boy's forehead right before his eyes close again, and Nathan stands and pulls the door closed most of the way, just like Ben likes it.

He walks back to his bedroom and laughs to himself. She sleeps like a log; always has. He kind of loves that. It's easier to surprise her this way. And damn, does she look beautiful laying there in her flannel pajamas (she's got a whole drawer full). She's still right in the middle of the bed, but that's alright because they probably would have ended up there anyway. He unzips his sweatshirt and pulls his tee shirt up over his head, and he steps out of his jeans. It's cold in Denver in January, but he doesn't mind it, he finds. He gets into bed and curls up beneath the heavy duvet, and Peyton doesn't stir until he brushes the hair from her face and rests his hand on her cheek.

Her eyes open and she blinks the sleep away, and they smile at each other and she looks like she might just cry.

"Hi," she says quietly.

"Hey, baby."

She smiles a little wider and moves into his arms, and they kiss the same way they always do after he's been away. It's sweet and gentle but full of all kinds of want and longing, and it lingers just a little bit.

"I missed you," she says, her eyes still closed and her lips just millimeters from his. He kisses her again, because he finally can, and she tangles her legs all up with his.

"I heard."

"He told on me?" she asks, smiling a little bit.

"Yeah," Nathan says as he pulls her as close as he can.

She never tells him she misses him over the phone. She used to, in their college days when his away games only took him from Durham for a couple days at a time. His first year playing pro, she realized it just made them both feel worse. It only reminded her how much she missed him, and it only reminded him how much he hated to leave her. It didn't help that she was pregnant and alone in a huge house in a new city at the time.

"You won all your games though," she reminds him.

"I don't want to talk about basketball," he tells her. She grins at him and he kisses her as he runs his hand along the waistband of her pajama pants.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asks, her tone cheeky. She's getting the impression that he doesn't want to talk at all.

"Nothing."

He really hates leaving her.

He really loves coming home to her.

----

Peyton wakes up in the morning and she's alone in bed, and she's momentarily not impressed by that at all. She's had enough of waking up alone, and she doesn't want to do it anymore.

Well, at least not for the next eight days while Nathan is home.

But then she hears her son's laughter echoing through the house, and Nathan says something in that deep tone of his that makes Ben laugh even harder. She can't be upset anymore. How could she be?

She steps out of bed, straightens out her dark burgundy pajamas, pulls her hair up off her face, and makes her way downstairs. She can't stop smiling. The first morning after Nathan is home is always a good one. They usually sleep in, then he'll make her breakfast with Ben's 'help' and they'll talk, sitting far closer to one another than they usually do. Ben will climb up onto Nathan's lap, and Peyton's heart will melt at the sight.

They hear her coming down the stairs, she suspects, because she hears Nathan saying, "hurry up, buddy!" She doesn't know what's going on, but then Nathan starts laughing and she smiles when she walks into the kitchen. Ben is sitting on top of the counter as Nathan finishes cooking breakfast, and they've both got their backs to Peyton.

"'Morning," she says. She walks over to where they are, and Ben covers his mouth with his little hand. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," Nathan answers quickly. "Making you breakfast. Want some coffee?"

"What's he eating?" Peyton asks, raising her brow. She can't help but smile though, because Ben has his mouth full and he's trying not to laugh, which is kind of funny to watch.

"Oh, just...nothing," Nathan says. Peyton narrows her eyes at him and turns to Ben. She reaches out and starts tickling the boy's stomach. "No!" Nathan shouts.

Too late. Ben starts laughing, and when he opens his mouth, it's full of what's left of a brownie. It's clear Nathan wanted him to eat it before mommy got up. Peyton's jaw drops and she turns to Nathan as Ben giggles in that adorable way of his.

"You!" she says, pushing at Nathan's chest. He laughs and takes her hands in his. "Brownies at 7:30?"

"Oh, it's fine," Nathan insists. He winks at Ben over his shoulder, and the boy starts laughing again.

"And _you_," Peyton says, turning to Ben. He kicks his little legs out and she reaches for him, pulling him into her arms. "You're taking advantage of daddy."

"What's that mean?" Ben asks.

"It's...nothing," she says. She doesn't feel like explaining it, and it's not like he'll really comprehend it anyway. She glares at Nathan when he laughs. She takes Ben over to the table and sets him down in his place, then walks back over to the coffee maker to pour a couple cups.

Nathan walks up behind her and presses himself against her, gripping her hip with his large hand. "Feel free to take advantage of me whenever you want," he says, his voice low.

"Nathan," she whispers pleadingly.

"Just a reminder," he tells her. He kisses that place on her neck, pushing aside the collar of the shirt she wears.

"_Nathan_."

"Mommy?" Ben calls from the table. She's never been more thankful for the interruption. Nathan lets out a breath on her neck, one she knows is meant solely to make her crazy. "How come eggs are yellow and white?"

She just laughs, and Nathan joins in. She casts a glance his way, and the look he gives her says, _'the hell if I know.'_

"I'm not sure," she answers honestly. "We'll have to remember to ask Catherine when we see her next."

Aaron and Catherine married the same summer as Nathan and Peyton, just a month and a half later. Peyton was maid of honour and in her speech, she said, _'I told you so.'_ Catherine and Aaron live just a few neighbourhoods away from Nathan and Peyton.

It's hard with all the girls split up so harshly, having followed their respective men to whatever cities they were drafted to. Brooke and Robbie wound up in L.A., where Robbie plays for the Clippers and Brooke has her own very successful fashion line. Together, they have a very adorable three-year-old little girl, Blake. Ginny and Matt are in San Antonio with their sons, William and Caleb, and Claire and Duncan ended up in Boston full time, settling there after she graduated from Harvard. Everyone's married to their high school sweethearts and they all realize how rare that is.

"What are we doing today?" Ben asks as he swings his legs back and forth, sitting there at the table.

"What do you want to do today?" Nathan asks, tearing his eyes away from his wife, no matter how difficult it is to do when she's standing right next to him, her hip brushing against his each time she moves.

"Can we go to the park?" the boy asks eagerly. Peyton takes a plate of breakfast over to him, though she knows he probably won't eat much, since Nathan let him feast on brownies. "Mommy didn't take me to the park the _whole time _you were gone."

"Hey!" Peyton cries.

"You didn't take him to the _park_?" Nathan asks, faking shock. He winks at her, but keeps up the act. "In 10 days, you didn't take him once?"

"There's snow on the ground," she says in her defense.

"You like snow," Nathan points out. He says it at the same time that Ben says, "I like snow."

"You guys always gang up on me," she mumbles, pouting as she takes her plate from Nathan. He reaches out and brushes his hand along the small of her back when she's walking away. She has so missed those little touches.

And really, every time he comes home, she wonders how she could ever feel so disconnected from him. Sure, when he's on the road, he's not physically around, but they talk every day, usually more than once, and he always, always makes sure everything's in order before he goes. Silly things too, like making sure there are extra light-bulbs in the drawer and the company knows to come plow the driveway. He takes care of them, even when he's away.

It's just so much nicer when he's home. They spend their off-seasons in Tree Hill at that beach house so that they're close to their family. And their friends usually come in for weeks at a time or go back to Oak Lake, so they're usually close by when they weather turns nice. Peyton can - and does - work on her art from anywhere, and it's sold in an upscale gallery in Denver.

She's made a name for herself over the years. She started out doing portraits of families or athletes or politicians (she knew all the right people to be able to do so). That gave her the freedom and the reputation to be able to paint or sketch whatever she wanted to. And she does. She's got trademarks, signatures to let people know that a piece is hers. She's very well known in both her home state and her adopted one. She's successful, though everyone knows that she could just sit back and do nothing with the amount Nathan gets paid. Everyone who knows her knows that there's no way she'd ever do that.

It's really not such a bad life they have.

Nathan has Ben all bundled up in his little snow suit when Peyton comes down the stairs after getting ready. She pulls on her heavy jacket, scarf and mittens, and Nathan does the same. He sticks his hands in the pockets of his jacket as they walk, and Peyton reaches over and links her arm through his. Ben runs ahead, sliding on little patches of ice on the sidewalk, which makes Peyton cringe and worry every single time, and Nathan just chuckles and shakes his head. Ben is so much like him, it's crazy.

It's a rare day they go without anyone recognizing him. He's an NBA all-star, and Peyton does a lot of work in the community as a player's wife. She co-chairs the team's charity with Catherine, and she's attended countless events and had her photo taken so much since their days at Duke, that pretty regularly, someonewill recognize her too.

Ben plays in the park and throws snowballs at his parents every so often, and Peyton tucks herself into Nathan's side as they sit on a park bench and watch their son run around and laugh at silly things.

"He missed you," she says quietly, resting her head on his shoulder. "Maybe more than I did." He doesn't say anything, because he really doesn't know what to say. "How are you?"

He looks at her like she's crazy, and then they're both distracted when Ben slips and falls, then gets right back up and starts running again. "What do you mean?"

"Well...we didn't exactly talk last night," she reminds him, rolling her eyes when he grins wolfishly. "So, how are you?"

"So glad to be home," he says quietly. "I hate being away from you."

"I know. But you love the game."

"Of course," he's quick to insist. "It just gets harder and harder."

"I know," she whispers. "He was _very_ worried you didn't like brownies."

"I proved that I do before you even woke up," he says with a laugh. "He said you were crying."

She looks over at him and he's got one eyebrow raised, as if he's just challenging her to deny it. "I was just...it was last night, and I honestly couldn't remember the last time we were apart that long and..."

He kisses her and cuts her off, because he doesn't need to hear her explanation, really, and she doesn't want to explain it any further. He's home now, and she's going to focus on that instead of the way she felt laying in a king size bed alone.

"Know what I think?" he says, smirking at her.

"What's that?" she asks absently, her attention stolen by Ben as he lays down in the snow and looks up at the sky.

"I think we should have another one." He laughs when her eyes snap over to meet his, and she looks shocked, though he thinks that's crazy. They always talked about having two. "Why are you surprised?"

"I just...we haven't talked about this recently and...Are you serious?"

"Mhmm. And if you got pregnant like..._now_, then the baby would be born right when the next season starts," he explains.

"You're serious," she states.

He laughs again and she shakes her head. "Are you resisting?" he asks, grinning at her when her jaw drops.

"No!" she insists. "No. I just didn't know you wanted to do this now."

He kisses her instead of saying that he does, because all that's pretty clear. Nathan pulls away and reaches to the ground, forming a big snowball in his hands and tossing it towards where Ben is. The snowball hits Ben right in the stomach, and Nathan laughs at how the boy seems to be amused and offended at the same time. He picks up some snow and throws it as hard as he can, and they all laugh when it lands at Nathan's feet.

"A girl," Nathan says, pulling Peyton against him.

"You always did want a daughter," she says softly.

Ben calls for Nathan to come play, and Peyton just kisses her husband before he gets up and runs towards their little boy. If she's being honest, she's been wanting another baby for a while now, she just didn't know if it was the right time. And timing is everything. She honestly can't wait to have another baby, and lately, Ben has been dropping subtle hints that he wants a sibling.

She stops thinking about it all when Nathan throws a snowball that hits her leg. Then she's off and running towards her boys, tackling Nathan as Ben laughs that perfect little laugh. Peyton can't wrestle Nathan to the ground, and he simply holds her up as Ben pelts her with little snowballs. When Nathan puts her back on her feet, they share a look, and they both go after Ben.

All three of them end up laying in the snow in the park just a few blocks from their house. Ben's laying between Nathan and Peyton, and she's almost certain they're all freezing, but none of them are complaining. It's moments like these that make his being away seem so worth it. He's got an amazing career that lets them live so comfortably. Of course, she'd take him being around full time over all the material things any day, but she realizes just how good she's got it.

Ben takes both their hands as they're walking home, and the look Peyton sends Nathan lets him know that they're definitely on the same page about wanting another baby.

Peyton stands in the kitchen, listening to Nathan and Ben laughing in the other room as she prepares hot cocoa to warm them up. Nathan has lit a fire. She smiles and shakes her head when she hears Ben tell Nathan that _'mommy let me sleep in her bed every night'._ She knows Nathan will never let her live that down. But he also knows that she hates sleeping alone, so he's stopped mentioning it in any serious tone of voice.

He'd love to be upset with her for letting Ben share her bed - their bed - but there's a big part of him that actually finds it adorable. After seeing the two of them curled up together beneath the duvet last night, how could he not? He absolutely loves how amazing a mother she is. She's been a natural since the moment the nurse placed Ben in Peyton's arms. She's fun and creative, and she's far more patient than she admits she thought she'd be. She can even make disciplining their son seem like the sweetest thing in the world. Nathan really doesn't know how she does it. She's so strong and so supportive, and it's such a cliché, such a lame thing to say, but he really has fallen more and more in love with her over the years.

He walks into the kitchen after leaving Ben in charge of finding something to watch on television, and Nathan can't help but smile as he watches her. She's always been fairly adept in the kitchen, and he's always loved to watch her cook. And yet watching her, right now, making the simplest thing in the world, he thinks she's never looked sexier.

"This looks seriously delicious," Nathan notes, watching as she bends her leg at the knee while she stirs boiling milk into three mugs.

"Me, or the hot chocolate?" she asks, kinking an eyebrow. She always manages to catch him when he's checking her out.

"Both."

"Wait till you taste it," she says seductively.

"You, or the hot chocolate?" he asks, his tone husky.

"Both."

He takes a deep breath and ignores the little laugh she lets out. Some would argue that it's just because they spend so much time apart, but they still act like teenagers when they're together. He likes it that way. She's playful and sexy, and being a wife and mother certainly hasn't changed that. Not at all.

"You're just lucky Ben's in the next room," he tells her.

She laughs as he places his hands on her hips and stands behind her before bending down to kiss her neck. She turns in his arms because she just can't help herself, and she kisses him full on the lips. Sure, their son is in the next room, but...

"Ew!" Ben cries in disgust, scrunching his little nose. "You always _kiss_."

Nathan chuckles and looks over to where Ben is standing in the doorway. "Someday you'll meet a girl you'll want to kiss."

"Nope. Girls are gross."

"You say that now," Peyton laughs. "If you're anything like you're daddy, you'll..."

"You'll meet a gorgeous cheerleader and fall in love," Nathan says, interrupting Peyton as he looks into her eyes.

Ben seems to mull it over, then he looks up at his mother. "Can I have cocoa?"

"Go on in, Bean, I'll bring it to you in a minute." Peyton elbows Nathan lightly when he runs his hand over the back of her jeans. Ben walks out of the kitchen and Peyton glowers at her husband. "Stop it!" she hisses.

"I don't want to."

"Well," she says seductively, pulling him closer, her hands gripping the fabric of his sweater. "It's not a game day, right?"

He grins. There are times he curses his game day rule. He's not superstitious, but that's the one thing he refuses to change. It's his 'ritual', and she doesn't question it. "No," he says softly, leaning in for a kiss.

"And Ben goes to bed at 7:30, so..."

"So we have all night," he finishes.

She doesn't say it and neither does he, but they share a look and then a kiss that says that they definitely have a lot more than just one night, too. She tries to move away to reach for the mugs of cocoa that are almost cool enough to drink, but Nathan stops her, placing his hands on the counter on either side of her. She doesn't say anything or shove him out of the way, and she's just standing there, completely at his mercy. She likes it. He tells her he loves her, not that she needs him to say it. She says it back, not that he needs her to say it either.

They walk into the living room and sit on the sofa with their son nestled between them, some children's show playing on the television, snow falling outside, and a fire burning next to them. Nathan idly runs his hand over the back of her neck as they all sip hot cocoa. The two of them smile at one another when Ben laughs at something on the screen.

They're living the life he always promised her they'd have. She never doubted they would. Not once.

_**-Fin-**_


End file.
